The Princess of Darkness
by MiniJen
Summary: "Those who live in the world of light call it a place of cursed darkness. But this is not true. It is a world bathed in a mystical, otherworldly beauty. When you find yourself in it, it sets your soul at ease and brings you peace. It is called the Twilight Realm and I am its princess... Or at least I had been..." Twilight Princess as told through the eyes of Midna.
1. The Curse

_**So in the midst of the three other Zelda fanfics I've been working on recently, all based on either OOT or SS, I figured I might as well write my first Twilight Princess piece! So in this little story right here, I plan on describing the events of the game through the eyes of the Twilight Princess herself (Midna). So yeah, enjoy!**_

**The Princess of Darkness**

_Chapter 1: The Curse_

"Shadows.", "The Banished.", "Dark Ones." No matter what we are called, the meaning remains the same. We are the inhabitants of a realm all our own. Those who live in the world of light call it a place of cursed darkness. But this is not true. It is a world bathed in a mystical, otherworldly beauty. When you find yourself in it, it sets your soul at ease and brings you peace. It is called the Twilight Realm and I am its princess.

Or at least I _had _been…

I look sorrowfully upon the place where I had once lived, the Palace of Twilight, and sigh in remorse. A few hours ago, I had been the magnificent, beautiful ruler of the Twilight, but now, as I stand here and watch the peaceful serenity of my realm slowly drain away, being replaced by a shroud of hanging dread and darkness, I am a hideous shadow of my former self. I look down at my small, impish body, standing only a fraction tall of how I normally am. How did this happen? How was I so easily cast off my throne, and cursed into _this?_

"Zant…" I growl, glaring at the palace once more. Zant was the one who has overthrown me, who is now ruling over the Twilight Realm, who had cast this awful curse on me. "I curse his very name!" I shout angrily, my voice echoing in the emptiness around me.

My mind flashes back to just a few moments ago. The shouts of battle echoed throughout the palace and my advisors urged me to retreat to one of the higher levels of the palace, us much as I didn't want to. But I quickly gave in when I heard the sound of the Shadow Beasts pounding on the door of the throne room. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to the highest balcony of the palace, watching with worry as my home filled with the invading creatures.

"Midna…" I heard my voice and spun around to see the leader of the attack who was approaching me steadily.

"Z-Zant…!" I said in surprise as I began to back up. Zant had once served my family, the royal family of the Twilis, until he became hungry for power and sought to rule the Twilight Realm. But my people, the Twili, rejected him as king and chose me for their ruler instead, considering I was the true heir to the throne. Yet he had recently gained a great dark power, and had used it to transform many of the Twili into the very creatures that were conquering my palace.

"Midna… You hold so much power…" Zant said, getting ever closer to me. "Yet you and your family have refused to use it properly… But worry not, for I will."

"What?" I asked, fear starting to develop inside of me as he began to tower over me. "What are you talking about?"

Zant laughed menacingly. "O, you foolish _former _Twilight Princess…" he said, raising an arm as if he was going to strike me. "I will use it to take revenge on the world of light that our people have so long deserved!"

Zant swiftly waved his outstretched hand and a sharp pain began to course through me, as if it was eating away at my insides. I fell to the ground as the world spun violently around me. And then, all at once it stopped. Weakly, I pulled myself into a sitting position, but stopped myself when I noticed my hands. They were smaller, much smaller. In fact, my entire body was smaller. It was then, with wide eyes full of horror, that I realized that I had been cursed into the form of a hideous imp.

I heard Zant's wicked and victorious laugh behind me as he disappeared from the balcony. Another noise soon sounded in its place: the sound of approaching Shadow Beasts. Still finding that I had some basic Twili magic left in me, I warped off the balcony, appearing in front the palace, where I now stand.

Giving one last glance to my fallen home, I turn my back to it and start to walk away from it. What's the point in staying? After all, my kingdom has completely fallen to Zant. I have failed those who had called me their leader, the ones who had chosen me to fill that high position. Maybe none of this would have happened if Zant _had_ been chosen instead of me… _No… _I think, falling to my knees as I am unused to my new legs. _Zant is a tyrant… And he must be stopped. But how…? _

The situation seems utterly hopeless… How can I even hope to try and stop him alone? Especially in this weak form. Maybe if wasn't an imp, I'd have a better chance, but of course, I am. A hideous, good for nothing, ugly, weak imp and nothing more. I am no longer the Princess of Twilight, and chances are I will never be again.

I stare at my deformed hands once again, not believing that they are my own. I am almost on the verge of tears, when a thought occurs to me. _The Fused Shadows! _Powerful relics used by our ancestors, the Fused Shadows hold great power that can be used to destroy. Most certainly, they would be able to defeat Zant! In wonder, I hold out my hand and sure enough, one of the pieces of the powerful relic appears floating above my hand. I grin wickedly at it, knowing that I have a chance. _Beware Zant..._ I think, as I place the object upon my head, feeling its power run through me. _For you WILL pay for this..._

_**So our story begins! Please review and favorite if you like this! Until next time!**  
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	2. The Princess

_Chapter 2: The Princess_

I sigh sadly as I take one last glance over the Twilight Realm, since I'll be leaving it for an indefinite amount of time. It may seem cowardly, leaving my people in the midst of their darkest hour, but I have no other choice. I can't defeat Zant with the power of only one Fused Shadow. I must find all four of them, each hidden somewhere within the world of light.

The world of light or Hyrule as it is called by those who live there is where our ancestors come from. They had been banished into the Twilight by the goddesses because of their dark magic. Over the years, our people lost their grievances with the world of light, the calm of our realm soothing our souls. However, there are still some who are like Zant, who believe that the world of light should be punished because of our affliction.

Being an heir to the Twili royal family, I am able to travel between the worlds of light and Twilight. Normally a Twilight being would not be able to survive in the realm of light without hiding in the shadow of a being of light. However as I enter Hyrule, I find that it is shrouded in Twilight.

"So…" I say gravely, gazing at the ivory towers of Hyrule's castle which stands tall before me. "Zant has taken over here too…"

It isn't all that bad though. Twilight suits the place rather nicely. Although I doubt the people who live here think so. As we cannot survive in their world, beings of light cannot maintain a physical form in the Twilight. They transform into spirits, completely unaware of what is really happening. But I have a theory that there is at least one person who hasn't, and I think I'll go search for them. After all, they may know something about the Fused Shadows, or better yet be able to help me look for them.

I use my powers to levitate, since it's easier and faster than walking on these stubby legs and glide towards the castle. I land on the tops of one of the towers and look out across the Twilight smitten land. _I could get used to this… _I think, smiling at how pleasant the Twilight is here, _If I didn't look like __this__… _I frown as I look down at my cursed form. Suddenly, a glimmer of light from the far south catches my eye. I turn to look, seeing that a part of the land has not yet been effected by Twilight. _Why is that place over there still in the light, _I think curiously, _if the rest of Hyrule is…?_

I shrug my shoulders and continue on, gliding around the castle. Eventually I pass window and stop in my tracks there. For standing on the other side of the window is the one whom I have been searching for. One who keeps their shape in the Twilight.

I do not know the figure's name or even their gender as they are covered by a dark cloak, only their mouth that is hanging agape in confusion showing. I knock on the window, but the robed figure steps back in fear. I roll my eyes and think, _Humans are incredibly stupid…_ So instead, I simply pass through the glass and when I reappear a few feet away from the figure, they gasp in surprise.

"Who… Who are you…?" a female's voice asks nervously.

"I think the better question would be who are you and why aren't you a spirit like the rest of them?" I ask, pointing out the window.

The person, who must be a woman judging from her voice, looks down and sighs. "I am the ruler of this land…" she says mournfully. "I am Princess Zelda…"

"Wait," I say hotly. "You're the _princess_?! You must be joking! Your land is covered in Twilight but you simply just stand here and do nothing?!"

Zelda's head turns towards me once more. "Hyrule was taken over by Zant, the King of Twilight," she tries to explain. "He gave me and my people a choice: surrender or die."

"Zant is not the king of Twilight!" I exclaim furiously. I am angered by her ignorance, but I don't reveal my identity even though I should. "And why didn't you try to fight him?! You just gave up!? How pathetic…"

Zelda says nothing in reply. I do not regret what I said at all. I meant every word. What kind of princess lets someone like Zant take over her kingdom just because he administered a hallow threat? In my case it had been different, since Zant had cursed me, but Zelda has no such excuse for her weakness.

"Your people should be ashamed of you…" I say bitterly, looking away from her.

After several more moments of thick silence, Zelda asks in a small voice, "You still haven't told me who you are…"

"Why should I give my name to someone like you?" I say hatefully. But then I remember why I had come here in the first place. "Oh that's right… Say princess, would you happen to know where the Fused Shadows are?"

The princess gasps in surprise. "Why would you need to know that?" she asks.

I groan at her ignorance. "Because I have a little 'business' I must take care of and the Fused Shadows will help me take care of it quickly," I say, trying not to reveal anything.

"I will tell you if you tell me who you are first."

I am growing more impatient with her by the second. "Fine!" I shout in her stunned face. "I'm Midna! Are you happy now?! Or would you like me to kiss the ground you walk on first?! Now just tell me were those stupid Fused Shadows are!"

The princess, though shocked at my demeanor, answers quietly, "I believe the light spirits of Hyrule have them…"

"Good," I say, grinning as I prepare to leave. "By the way princess, you wouldn't happen to know of anyone else like you, would you? Someone who can maintain their form in the Twilight?" I am obviously not going to ask this useless princess for her aid in this matter. No, I need someone strong to get the job done.

Zelda looks down at her hand, which is glowing faintly. I can scarcely make out the shape of a triangle on the back of it, the source of the light. "I don't know anyone else who is capable of doing this," she says finally.

I have a feeling that she is hiding something, but I don't press the matter any further. "Fine then," I say sharply as I phase out of the castle, amused by the stupefied look on the princess' face. "I guess I'll just have to find someone myself…"

_**So, don't ya know, right in the middle of writing this chapter, my computer goes dead and i have to start all over from scratch because it didn't autosave it. :(. Yeah. I had meant for this chapter to be longer but that's how it goes when your computer is a piece of junk! So anyway, the next chapter oughta be fun, because Link and Midna are meet for the first time! So until next time!**_


	3. The Beast

_Chapter 3: The Beast_

I glide over the vast main field of Hyrule, carefully watching the ground below me the whole time. The only beings of substance I see are the countless Shadows Beasts created by Zant that are now ravaging the land. I'm still fuming at the thought of that incompetent princess letting her kingdom fall at the drop of a hat! If I had been given that choice, I would have certainly chosen to fight alongside my people until the end, not giving in because of fear.

I'm not sure why, but I find myself heading towards the area in the south that is still covered in light. I know that I won't be able to go in there, but I want to get as close as I can to see what's different about it.

Eventually, I make it to a thick forest, quite close to the place where the Twilight cuts off. I float in front of the barrier between the two worlds, looking at it closely. _Maybe they will come from there…_ I think. Except for Zelda, all of the people I have seen since I arrived in Hyrule have been spirits. No signs of anyone different in sight.

Suddenly a sound below me captures my attention. I quickly sweep out of the way and hide as I watch the barrier begin to ripple, meaning that something is coming through it. A small group of shadow creatures bursts through the light barrier, riding on larger beasts, with about five spirits in tow. While most can't see a light being's physical form in Twilight, my powers grant me the ability to see them. The four spirits that have just been dragged into the Twilight now appear to be four young human children and another girl who is a bit older than them.

I roll my eyes as I watch the beasts carry off their victims out of sight. _Those stupid kids probably got too close to the barrier… _I think. Clearly, I'm not going to find the one I'm searching for here. I'm just about to leave the area to look elsewhere, when another sound echoes through the forest. The screeching voices of Shadow Beasts.

I glare at the several Shadow Beasts coming through the forest, heading quickly towards the barrier. They must be coming to capture more hapless beings of light. At the same time, I also hear a small sound coming from the other side of the barrier, as if someone is pounding on it… trying to get in. Perhaps it is someone foolishly trying to rescue those kids…

By now, the creatures have heard the small pounding noise as well as they stand directly before the barrier. They seem to be able to see something on the other side that I can't for some reason. Suddenly, without a moment's notice, one of them quickly trusts its large hand through the barrier. I now hear what sounds like someone screaming for a brief second, until the Shadow Beast pulls its hand back into the Twilight, gripping something tightly. Or rather, _someone_…

I lean forward with interest to watch as the beast triumphantly holds up its catch: a struggling young human male from the looks of him. _Why is he not a spirit yet?_ I think, as I start to get excited. Suddenly, as the boy is struggling a bright light flashes on the back of his hand. It illuminates the area, causing the Shadow Beasts to release their hold on him and drop him to the ground, dragging their tails behind them in full retreat. The light is so bright and pure that I have to shield my eyes for a moment so that it won't burn them out of my head.

The boy is on his hands and knees, groaning out in pain as the light still flashes on the back of his hand. The he begins to scream in agony as he lifts his head up high in the air. What happens next causes my jaw to drop in wonder. The boy seems to change his shape entirely. Grey fur covers his pale human flesh, hands become paws, and his human face changes into that of… a wolf…!

I gasp in surprise at the transformation. I have never seen anything like this before in my entire life. What kind of magic does this young man hold so that he can do this? Finally fully changed from human to beast, the light on the back of his hand finally dims and he collapses onto the ground, unconscious from the stain of the transformation.

I stare intently at the boy or rather, the wolf as he lies there on the ground. There is no question of it. He must be the one. Not only the one who can help me search for the Fused Shadows, but also the long foretold hero of our long passed down legends. Stories I have heard of the "divine beast" flood into my mind. And the person who lies there on the ground now must certainly be the one who is destined to liberate the Twilight Realm! ...With me commanding him… I grin impishly, knowing that the Twilight Realm will be safe once more soon!

I am just about to approach him I hear more Shadow Beasts coming through the woods, so I restrain myself. I watch as the new round of creatures sniff the unconscious wolf curiously and then grab him by one of his paws, dragging him away. _Hey! _I think angrily. _That's my hero! How dare they steal him away like that!_

Nonetheless, I decide to follow the creatures from a distance as they take him far away from the forest, across the wide field and all the way back to castle. I sigh in exasperation as the creatures enter the castle town, realizing that I had just gone in a complete circle. I'm surprised that the wolf is still unconscious as they continue to drag him down, deep below the castle, into what looks like a sewer. And still I watch as they toss him into a makeshift prison cell, and chain one of his front paws to the ground, making sure to lock the door tightly behind them.

Finally coming come into clear view in the dark room now that they are gone, I stand on the other side of the cell door and examine him more closely. He is a strong looking one alright, with various shades of grey fur, with interesting white patterns adorning his head and sides. _I wonder how he is with a sword… _I think, knowing that will be important later on.

I back up into the shadows when the wolf begins to stir. I smile once more when he opens his eyes. Pure blue, just like the legends say. Obviously, when he comes to, he is completely stunned at his new form. I understand well his shock. After all, I myself went through a change of shape not too long ago as well, though much to my displeasure.

The wolf begins to clumsily run around the small cell, unused to his new paws, trying to find a way out. Only then does he realize that he is chained to the ground. I expect him to break the thing with a simple tug, but he doesn't. Instead he gnaws on the thing with his canine teeth, which doesn't even leave a scratch in the metal! I sigh and roll my eyes at his ignorance. _This is going to be a long trip… _I think in irritation as I finally slip out of the shadows.

He lets his bite on the chain go when he sees me out of the corner of his eyes. He snaps his head in my direction. He doesn't respond to my sudden appearance, but simply stares at me curiously. I grin sharply and leap high into the air, jumping over the raised bars of the cell and landing a few feet in front of him.

"I found you!" I say knowingly to him. The wolf lowers his head and begins to growl, his blue eyes trained on me. I shake my head and laugh at his foolhardy attempt to be menacing. "Ooo, aren't you scary!" I tease him, laughing. "Are you sure you want to be snarling and glaring at me like that?"

He continues to bare his teeth at me as I cross my arms and look down at him with a smirk on my face. "Well, that's too bad…" I say smoothly. "I was planning on helping you… If you were nice…"

The wolf's demeanor instantly changes and he stops that incessant growling of his. How simple minded and easy to control he is! Which, in my case, will be a good thing. "That's much, much better now, isn't it?" I say. "You simple humans are obedient to a fault, aren't you?"

I watch as the reality hits him once more. "Oh, but that's right!" I say, reaching forward and roughly tap him beneath his fur covered chin. "You AREN'T a human any more, are you? You're a beast!" I laugh as I watch him glare at me. Teasing him is just so enjoyable!

Finally taking enough of my verbal abuse, he snips at me, which I avoid with little effort. "There, there," I say, raising my hands in the air. "You be a good little wolf and calm down. No need to bite!"

I decide that as much fun as I'm having picking on him, time grows short, so I concentrate some magical energy and form a small red orb in my hands. The wolf watches with interest as I do this, his eyes growing wide with wonder and confusion. I then, stretch my arms out wide, releasing the energy onto the chain around his leg, breaking it easily. Shocked, the wolf checks his paw and sure enough he is free from his bondage.

I surprise him as I appear directly in front of his face a second later. "You look kind of surprised!" I say, still quite amused. I back up, preparing to exit the cell as I say, "So, you must be wondering where we are, right?" I shift through the iron bars of the cell, as the wolf watches with his mouth agape. "Well, why don't I make you a deal? If you can find a way out of there, then _maybe _I'll tell you!" I use a finger to beckon him over to the other side of the bars, that dull look of confusion still on his wolfish features. I yawn boredly and watch as he looks all over the dingy cell for a way out, of course finding no obvious ones.

I roll my eyes yet again as he looks towards me expectantly. "Come on!" I exclaim in aggravation. "What's the matter with you?! Get over here now!" A blank expression covers his face as I sigh. "If you can't force your way out," I say slowly so that it will get through his thick head. "Why don't you try to find some kind of whole to squeeze through? Places like this are always full of holes, right?"

The wolf looks around once more and he finally fixes his eyes on a worn wooden crate that sits in the corner of the cell near the door. _It's about time he sees it… _I think. He isn't too bright, but hopefully he'll do.

He lunges towards the create, easily breaking it and revealing a small patch of soft soil lying underneath the iron bars. Once more he looks at me with that stupid look on his face and I cross my arms and nod. Finally doing something smart, he uses his claws to burrow through the dirt, reemerging on the other side of the bars a second later.

Once he's free, he looks around the room for me, but of course I'm floating high above his head, a smug grin on my face all the while. Finally, I plummet down quickly, landing squarely on his back and startling him. Unable to turn his head to look in my direction, he runs around in mindless circles, trying to get me off of him.

I tightly grab onto the fur on the gruff of his neck and pull hard, bringing him to a halt. "Hm," I say thoughtfully as he finally realizes that it's me. "I guess you're not completely stupid after all!" He snarls at me once more, much to my amusement. "Listen," I say. "I like you, so I think I'll get you out of here."

"But," I say harshly, grabbing onto one of his ears. "In exchange for my help, you'll have to do EXACTLY as I say, do you understand me?" I don't give him a chance to respond before I say, "Good! Now come on! Get moving! I don't have all day!"

Glaring at me one last time, the wolf moves on, and soon finds a way out of the prison chambers with my help of course. _How was he able to do ANYTHING before without my help? _I think as we move into the filth and grime of the castle swerves. Though he's a bit, or rather very dense, I think that eventually, after much hard work on my part, he'll probably become a fine hero. And at the moment, I really don't have any other choice…

**Hahaha, well that was certainly fun to write! I just love how Midna picks on Link in the earliest parts of the game! Its so funny! Thanks for all of the positive reviews! Until next time!**


	4. The Deal

_Chapter 4: The Deal_

I let the wolf wander around for a moment or two while I think about exactly what I want to do next. Of course, we could always go looking for the Fused Shadows now; it would be very easy for me to just warp us both out of here. But I have a feeling that I need for him to be in his original shape before any of that happens. I could always just tell him what's going on: about the Twilight overshadowing Hyrule, about the fact that I need a hero to save the Twilight Realm. But where's the fun in that? I know that times may be dire, but I need something to cheer me up from my dramatic experience and teasing him is certainly doing the trick.

As we round a corner, the form of a being of light, a soldier most likely, comes into view. Apparently, he sees them too, though most likely as a ball of light as he approaches them slowly. "Oh, well, well…" I say to him, knowing that the soldier won't and can't hear us. "Want to see something interesting?" He perks up and I smirk as I continue. "Well, you're a beast! You should know what to do… Hone your natural senses to poke around and see things that you couldn't normally see…"

I wait to see if he catches on, and sure enough, he does. His tail twitches quickly and I know that he can see the same sight of the soldier that I see, though the soldier has no idea that we're even there. The soldier is cowering in a corner, panting heavily as though he had been running recently. "Can't… run… any… further…" the man says shakily. "This is… far enough… right? I'll be safe here! I think… What's that noise!? Don't… anything come near me!"

The wolf leans his head to the side in curiosity and I let out a small laugh at his confusion. But then, I hear the noise coming from the distance behind us; monsters no doubt. "Listen…" I say, tensing up on his back. "I doubt you're used to your new body yet, so I'll just tell you… When fighting something, just think about how you fought enemies in your human form. Just because your shape has changed, doesn't mean your instincts have as well!"

He takes the hint just as a shadow bat emerges upon us. The wolf growls fiercely and pounces on the creature, mercilessly tearing it to pieces. I grin wickedly at his strength, his force, his courage. That's _exactly _what I'm looking for in a hero.

We traverse the sewers for a while longer and more spirits of Hylian soldiers appear, all of them scared stiff of the shadow creatures haunting the place. We make it to a large gate, seemingly blocking the path ahead, but I take it as the perfect means of testing the wolf. I leap off his back and glide towards it and then I seamlessly phase through its metal bars, leaving him confused on the other side.

"This way!" I call to him. "Over here! I'll be waiting for you, but you'll have to help yourself for a change! Hurry up and don't keep me waiting!"

He looks around for a moment of two before he finally sees it: a small hole close to the ground beside him that is just large enough for him to crawl through. I watch as he disappears out of sight though it and wait until he appears on the other side of the gate with me.

I surprise him by suddenly landing on his back and I laugh. "Aww, did the detour tire the little wolf out?" I as" and I can already hear him growling in protest. "By the way, have you been honing your senses like I told you to?" His demeanor changes and he gives me a nod. "Good. It looks like the spirits here… they're all soldiers…" I say mysteriously. "Where in the world could we be?" I laugh again, as I finally realize where I want to go. The best person to explain things to him would of course be the very person who caused it. Princess Zelda herself, who is no doubt, sitting high and might in that tower of hers, doing nothing. "You want to get out of here, right? OK! Then we're off!"

We're now standing in a tall tower that I hope leads out of the sewers. Its stairs are in disrepair, but still scale-able. He starts to climb up them, but a piece of the stone steps gives way under his paws without warning and we crash land on the ground a few feet below us. "Ugh…" I sigh, rolling my eyes. "What are you doing? I guess I have to do EVERYTHING for you!" I say bitterly as I leap off of his back and float over to the next sturdy set of steps. "Follow me! I'll guide you to sure footing!" The wolf watches closely where I land and he leaps from his spot to me. I land skillfully on his back as he touches down on the stairs. _Not bad… _I think as we repeat the process several times on our way up. "So…" I say as we head up the stairs. "Think you know where we are yet?" I gain no response from him as he hurries on his way. Of course he doesn't know; that would involve too much thinking. "Well… If you make it to the top, then maybe you'll find out!"

Eventually we do make it to the top of the tower and exit to the outside, where the Twilight is glowing brilliantly. I smile and stretch, yawning. "So, we were finally able to get out of there!" I say, glad to breath in the fresh Twilight once more. "And look at the sky! Isn't the black cloud of Twilight looking stunning today?" He seems confused at what I've just said, but I ignore him. "Do you know where we are now?" Again, no response. "You STILL don't know?!" I giggle and roll my eyes. "Look, there's someone I want you to meet, but I need you to get to that tower to do it!" I point to the tower where Zelda should be and he starts to head in that direction, being met with another cowering soldier's spirit along the way.

"So there are even spirits up here, huh?" I muse. "This whole spirit thing is pretty new to you, isn't it? You know, even though these guys can plainly see monsters, they don't know a thing about you! Think I'm lying? Check with your senses!"

He does so and we can hear the soldier talking to himself. "What are these monstrous birds?" he says, referring to the shadow beasts that resemble birds that are circling all over the place. "What's going on here?! Oh, our poor Hyrule Castle!"

I roll my eyes as the realization sets in on the wolf's face. _Thanks a lot for just outright telling him! _I think as we continue on our way towards the tower. We manage to get into the lower level of the tower though a small passage and I point up the stairs in front of us. "Look!" I exclaim. "Just a little further."

He makes his way up the stairs and nudges the door to the princess' room open quietly. As I suspected, Zelda is still standing before the window as she had been before, gazing out at her fallen kingdom. I glare at her, when suddenly I hear the wolf growling below me at the sight of the cloaked princess. I can't help but let out a small giggle at this, which catches Zelda's attention. She turns to face us, and immediately, the wolf stops growling and stands erect respectfully when he sees that she's a woman. I roll my eyes dramatically and laugh as he approaches her, finding his random shifts in behavior to be funny.

"…Midna?!" Zelda exclaims as she recognizes me.

I snicker and cross my arms. "You remembered my name?" I ask sarcastically. "What an honor for me…"

She turns to look at the wolf. "Is this the one for whom you were searching for?"

"He's not exactly what I had in mind…" I say thoughtfully, nodding. "But I guess he'll do…"

Zelda kneels down to look him in the eye. "You were imprisoned…?" She asks, referring to the remains of the chain still attached to him leg. "I am sorry…" she apologizes after a moment, as she should. After all, this _is _all her fault.

I reach down to pat his side somewhat consolingly. "Poor thing…" I say, trying to make Zelda feel bad. "He has no idea where we are or what's happened…" I look at Zelda coldly. "So don't you think that you ought to explain to him what _you've _managed to do? You owe him that much…" I wait for a moment and then grin ominously as I finish. "…Twilight Princess…" I laugh darkly. Of course, Zelda is not the Twilight Princess; I am, but the title is fitting considering that her realm is covered with Twilight. I mean it in a teasing way, no hints of respect whatsoever. She deserves none.

Zelda looks down and sighs. She then turns to look the wolf in the eyes once more as she begins her tale. "Listen carefully…" she says. "This was once the land where the power of the gods was said to slumber… This was once the kingdom of Hyrule… But that blessed kingdom has been transformed by the king who rules the Twilight. It has been turned into a world of shadows, ruled by creatures who shun the purity of light…" She tells the story of how Zant and his forces invaded the kingdom, I guess shortly after he overthrew me. Zant's shadow beasts made easy work of many of Zelda's guards and quickly made it to the princess herself. He gave her a simple choice: surrender or die, and that weak and foolish princess of course chose to surrender, casting her kingdom into the Twilight and letting Zant take over. All of the people became spirits, unaware of what is really happening, save for the numerous monsters invading their homes.

"All the people know now is fear…" Zelda concludes the tale. "Fear of a nameless evil. The kingdom has succumbed to darkness, yet I remain its princess…" Zelda's hands move to the hood covering her head as she prepares to remove it. The wolf, intrigued, sits up so straight that I almost fall off of his back. Then, in one movement, she removes the hood finally revealing her pale face. "I am Zelda…" she says, a slight look of grief on her face as she says it.

I frown at her. "You don't have to look so sad!" I say, feeling a little guilty for how I had treated her earlier. "We actually find it to be quite livable! I mean, is perpetual Twilight really all that bad?"

Zelda sighs once more. "Midna…" she says tiredly. "This is no time for levity. The shadow beasts have been looking far and wide across Hyrule for you. Why is this?"

I float of the wolf's back and turn away from the princess. I can't tell either of them yet, so I remain ambiguous. "Why indeed?" I shrug my shoulders. "You tell me."

"Time has grown short…" Zelda says to the wolf, urgency entering her tone. "The guard will make his rounds soon." I return to my spot on the wolf's back as she continues. "You must leave quickly." The wolf turns to leave and heads for the door, glancing back at the princess one final time before exiting the room.

"Let's go," I whisper, urging him to hurry out. He rushes down the stairs of the tower, but I halt him by tugging on the back of his neck hard when I hear the sound of clanging doors around the corner. The stairs in front of us light us, signifying that the guard is on his way. "Not that way!" I whisper sharply. "The guard's coming! Boy, he's prompt!" I catch sight of a small window to my right and I direct him out through there, just barely avoiding the guard.

When we arrive back outside, I notice that it has started raining heavily, which, when coupled with Twilight, is actually a very relaxing sight under normal circumstances. I glide ahead of the wolf, bouncing gracefully on one of the surfaces of the roof until I am several feet ahead of him. He approaches me and I cross my arms as I turn to face him. "So? Do you understand where we are now?" I say with a rough grin on my face. That blind, stupid look isn't showing on his face for the moment, replaces instead with a glare that gives me an idea that he understands. "I guess a promise is a promise. I got you out of there, so I guess now I'll return you to where you first stumbled into Twilight…" He gets an eager look on his face, and I can tell he's in a hurry to return to normal. I frown for a second, realizing that I have to find a way to convince him to do my bidding for a bit longer. "But…" I say, smiling as an idea comes to me suddenly. "Are you really sure you should be going back? Are you sure you aren't forgetting anything… important?" I give him a sly wink and use a little Twili illusion magic to transform into the shape of two of those kids that were taken from the forest, the ones that he had been trying to save when he was dragged into the Twilight. I change into one of the boys and then into the older girl, giving a dramatically scared face with each transformation. The wolf perks up, and stares at me with his eyes open wide.

I laugh. "Don't you want to save them?" I ask, though I already pretty much know the answer. "Well in that case, little Midna would be happy to help you! But…" I look piercingly at him, a smirk cracking on my face. He looks at me with anticipation. "Well… you would have to be my servant… and like a good servant, you'd have to do EXACTLY as I say! No exceptions!" I place my hands on my hips, finally appearing to him as myself. "Why don't you head on back, take a little time, and give it some thought…?" I laugh once more as I wink at him and then, without giving him any warning I warp him out of the area, and back to the forest with me following close behind.

**Now the real fun begins... Midna bossing Link around even more! Hahaha... Until next time!**


	5. The Servant

_Chapter 5: The Servant_

The minute we arrive in the world of light, I make sure to slip into his shadow, grateful that I have a means to do this. Normally, my kind can't survive in the world of light, unless we have someone's shadow to hide in. Luckily for me, I can take advantage of having the wolf with me and I linger in his shadow as he finally realizes he's back in the forest.

But a look of bewilderment is on his face when he realizes that he's still a wolf. Of course; he must have thought that returning to the light would have changed him back. "Oh that's right! I forgot to mention one small detail…" I call out from the shadows. Instinctively, the wolf glances back, expecting to see me on his back, but of course, not finding me. I circles around, trying to find me and I let out a small laugh at his dumbfounded expression. "Even though you may be back in the world of light, that doesn't mean that you've transformed back into your former self… and you won't any time soon!" He glances around at the sound of my voice, disappointment crossing his features. "Now why could that be…?" I ask mysteriously, though I know why. "See you later!" I laugh once more, deciding to watch him quietly from the shadows for a while.

We're in a spring of sorts, that's obviously familiar to him, so he simply takes the liberty of walking out of it and he looks in both directions, unsure of where to go. And quite frankly, so am I. "So… Um, what next?" I say, slipping out from his shadow and appearing in front of him. To him, I probably look like a black silhouette of myself, which is normal considering that's how we appear to beings of light in their world. He stares at me with surprise and curiosity and I give him a smirk. "What? Did you think I vanished?" I ask, giggling. "Listen, there's something else that I forgot to tell you… If you think that you can just run off and save those friends of yours, well… you can't." I point to a nearby bridge, knowing that the land on the other side of it is eclipsed in Twilight. "Everything past that bridge is covered in Twilight," I relay to him. "Last time, you were able to get in there because a shadow beast pulled you in. But if you want to get back in there, then you'll need the cooperation of someone FROM the Twilight, like, oh I don't know…" I put a hand to my chin thoughtfully then grin wickedly at him. "Me! So, really, you don't have any other choice than to do what I say, servant!" I laugh as he bares his teeth and growls at me once more.

"Did you hear anything I just told you!?" I scold him harshly and he growls even more. "I said that you have to do what I tell you do if you want to ever see your friends. So it all depends on your actions… Because you can never trust words you know…"

He muses over it for a second or two and I can tell that I've got him cornered. He doesn't growl at me anymore. I smile, satisfied, as I cross my arms. Everything is going according to plan…

"Good!" I say firmly. "Right now, I want a sword and shield that will suit me!" He gives me a confused look, but I don't bother trying to explain that they're not going to be for me, but rather for him. "You understand me, right?" He nods, though I can tell he's still not entirely with me on the topic. "Then come on! While you're standing here lazing around, the Twilight continues to expand! Get going!"

He starts to walk forward, taking one more look back at the curtain of Twilight. I'm tempted to scold him again, but he heads off in the direction opposite of it. He's learning not to cross me… I hope.

The sun has gone down by the time we make it to a small village hidden away in the forest. The wolf seems familiar with it, which gives me the idea that this is where he's from. I warn him to remain unseen, least the sight of a beast in their village causes uproar among the few who live here. He stalks around in the darkness for a bit, heading towards some lit touches on the far side of the village, where two old men are whispering about something. Seeing that their business looks shady, I urge the wolf in inch in closer to hear what they're saying, hoping that it's of interest to us.

"So you still have that shield in your house, right?" The more rotund man asks the shorter one.

The wolf perks up and so do I as we both lean in to eavesdrop in on their private conversation. "Uh, yeah… it should still be up in our loft…" The shorter man says somewhat unsure.

"Good! Hurry and get it! Rusl got hurt pretty badly by those monsters so he can't go looking for those kids. I'm gonna take over for him."

"But mayor, Rusl has a sword and he STILL got hurt! If you're not armed then you're a goner!"

"I'll be fine. That sword that Link was gonna take to the royal family should still be at Rusl's house…"

The wolf's tail twitches, most likely attributed to the fact that we've found out where to get both a sword and a shield all in one conversation.

"Huh?" the shorter man raises an eyebrow. "Oh yeah! I get what you're saying mayor! I'll hurry and get that shield, and you just wait here…"

"Shh!" The larger man says, looking around and then catching the wolf sitting in the shadows nearby. "No good!" he exclaims, nervously. "Run!" The two men then take off as fast as they can, having left us with some useful information nonetheless.

"That wasn't a bad bit of information you just heard, hm?" I ask as I rise from his shadow, crossing my arms in confidence. Out of the corner of my eye I catch an open window though and frown. "Are you kidding me?" I ask pointing to it. "Look at that open window… This village is full of idiots…" But I crack a smile as an idea comes to me. "Why don't you try finding a way in there?"

He begins looking for a way to jump up to the window, passing by a tall rock formation as he does so. Unfortunately an old man is standing on top of it and he catches sight of the wolf. He begins shouting out in fear at the wolf, but then picks up a strange looking blade of grass and blows into it and in less than a moment later, an eagle appears and perches on his arm. I almost break out laughing when the man has the eagle attack the wolf, simply because it's so funny. But I restrain myself as the wolf runs away from the assaulting bird.

Out of nowhere, a cat suddenly approaches the wolf and for a moment, I think that they seem to converse with one another. Of course, I don't understand animals, so I have no idea if that's what's really going on but after a moment or two; the wolf approaches a roof that is just high enough for him to jump up on with my help.

I glide to the low roof and call out to him. "C'mon!" I say, glancing over at the man, still standing pompously on his rock perch. "Let's get over to that window from here and scare that guy along that way! Look at him! Posing like he's all important… Wait until he sees us!" I let out a devious giggle as the wolf leaps onto the roof and over to the man's perch.

Not expecting the wolf to appear from behind, the old man falls off of the formation and takes off running for his house as fast as he can. I laugh as we enter through the window, glad to see that the wolf seems to have a sense of humor too.

We enter a humble house, but immediately upon our entry I catch sight of a wooden shield hanging from a wall on the far side of the house. _Not the best, but it'll do, I suppose… _I think as I glide over to it and he follows close behind. "Found it! Found it!" I laugh lightly as he leaps up onto the loft that it's on. He rams into the wall, knocking it down so that we can examine it closer. "It looks… kind of cheap…" I frown, looking at its simple wooden structure. "All right then…" I shrug my shoulders. "Next is a sword. Hurry up and find one already!"

He takes the shield and lets it rest on his back as he exits the house to look for a sword. He goes towards another small house, even smaller than the last one, where a couple consisting of an injured man and a pregnant woman are having a conversation.

The man seems to hear the wolf as he approaches and hides in the shadows of the night. "What was that?" he glances around, finding nothing though. "Could the children have returned?!" He turns his attention back to the woman, who is probably his wife. "I must go looking one last time! You get in the house. The sword for the royal family is on the couch. If the mayor comes for it, please give it to him."

"But darling…" the woman calls out to him as he turns to go. "Your injuries!"

He ignores her as he rushes off, shouting some nonsense about a beast. "Get in there and get that sword!" I whisper to the wolf sharply once the man is out of sight. He inches closer to the house, taking care that the woman who is sitting on the porch won't spot him and finds a small hole to burrow into the house through. And sure enough, there is a sword sitting on the couch inside, just waiting for us to take it.

"All right…" I say as he takes the sword on his back along with the shield. "Now you finally have a sword. Looks like you can actually be useful when you concentrate!" I let out a small laugh at his expense. "Fine," I say when I see the harsh look he is giving me. "No more detours. I'll take you back into the Twilight. Go back to the woods where you first changed into that shape, and hurry. Time grows short!"

He rushes out of the village as fast as he can, his mind set on saving those kids for some reason. I really could care less if he actually saves them; just as long as he does what I say along the way, then we won't have a problem.

As he passes by the spring again, a voice from nowhere seems to call out to him_. "Wait…"_ the otherworldly voice says. _"Come… to my spring…"_ The voice is somewhat weak, and very mysterious. From the shadows, I peer at the spring along with him as he enters it. _"You have… been transformed… by the power… of shadow…"_ it says cryptically. _"Come… to me…"_

At that moment however, a group of shadowy stakes plummet to the ground from the sky, followed by a group of shadow beasts coming from a Twilit portal in the sky. The wolf growls at them and prepares to attack. _"Beware…" _the voice says warily. _"A shadow being… approaches…"_

The wolf, in an impressive display of strength and raw power quickly dispatches the shadow beasts. I grin widely from the shadows, getting more excited by the minute to see how he'll channel that strength through a sword.

With the dark creatures gone, the waters of the spring suddenly light up, much to my displeasure. A little light I can tolerate, but the purity of this light is almost too much for me to bear. The wolf stands there, his jaw dropped in wonder as a large, divine being that looks almost like a goat appears before him, wrapped in that powerful light. _Oh I get it… _I think, just barely managing to cope with the power of its light. _It must be one of those 'light spirits' that Zelda was talking about…_

"_Oh brave youth…"_ the spirit says, its voice more resounding than before. _"I am one of the four light spirits that watch over the land of Hyrule under the direction of the gods. I am Ordona."_

The wolf's ears perk up as he listens to the words of the spirit with interest, and even I listen intently, trying to glean any information about the Fused Shadows that I can. _"The black beasts that you just slayed were shadow beings… They had come to steal my light away…" _Ordona states. _"My three brethren in Hyrule have already fallen victim to these fell beasts. The entire land of Hyrule has been reduced to a netherworld ruled by the evil king of the Twilight. This blight will not stop with Hyrule… Before long, the entire world of light will fall into the hands of the king who rules the Twilight. To save this land from him, you must recover the lost light. The three fallen spirits must have their light revived. There is but one who can take on this task and redeem this land… You…"_

I glance at the wolf, who is listening with rapt attention. So not only is he to be the hero of the Twilight Realm as I hope, but also of this world as well… I frown slightly, realizing that he'll have to save the world of light first before he can even try to help my realm. This was not part of my plan…

"_You have still not yet discovered your full power…" _the spirits continues. "_Those who are transformed by Twilight usually cannot recover their original forms…" _I roll my eyes as I see the look of worry come across the wolf's face. _"Unless…" _Ordona continues nonetheless. _"If you were to return to Faron Woods, where you were first transformed… If you were to revive the light spirit… There, by the power of the light… you may find the means to regain your original state of being…"_

Just as suddenly as the light spirit appeared, it vanished completely, taking that overpowering light with it. I finally emerge from the shadows, seeing the anxious look on the wolf's face and laugh. "Well…" I say, stretching. "Are you finally ready? Then come on! I don't have all day to wait around for you while you talk to light spirits!"

He flashes a glare at me, but presses on, heading towards the curtain of Twilight that hangs over the woods. "Hey…" I say with seriousness in my tone. "The Faron Woods that you know so well… They're covered in Twilight… You might not be able to come back here for quite some time, but… do you still want to go in there?"

He glances back in the direction of the village, seeming to make a decision. He then turns to me and nods insistently. I grin at his vigor. "Very well then…" I say darkly as I glide into the Twilight, leaving him on the other side. The feeling of being back in the Twilight is instantly rejuvenating and I take in a deep breath before using some magic to contort my hair into a large, third arm of sorts and plunge it over the barrier between the two worlds. I grab hold of the wolf tightly and drag him into the Twilight, much like the shadow beasts had done to him earlier.

I decide to be nice for the moment and place him gently on his feet, though I could have easily let go of him in a much more amusing position. I return to my place on his back and take the sword and shield that he got in my hands. I place the shield over my face, as a way of amusing myself and confusing him. Realizing that I'm on him once more, he glances back at me, holding the weapons. "Hmm!" I grunt out in disappointment. "So these play toys are the weapons that you use in your world?" I clumsily swing the sword around, and the wolf ducks his head so I won't wipe it clean off. "You really think that this useless thing can slay a monster of Twilight?" I scoff, and I can hear him growling angrily at me. I toss the shield over his face in retaliation and throw the sword to the ground. "Well I won't use these!" I exclaim harshly, crossing my arms in disgust. He growls louder than ever, upset that he worked so hard for nothing. I shake, rolling my eyes at his stupidity. "But…" I say more lightly. "I guess I could hold onto them for you…" After all, the only reason I had him get those weapons was for his own use. I never had any intention of using the things. But it is funny to see him get so riled up.

He stops growling, but I decide to have more fun with him. "That's a good little servant…" I say mockingly. He glares at me once more, but I ignore him. "All right. A promise is a promise… I trust you enough to help me… In exchange for my help though, I need you to gather some… things… for me." He looks at me curiously and I continue, not telling him the full at the moment. "Look, I can't tell you the details just yet, but trust me. It'll be easy."

Suddenly, a strange, ethereal sound echoes through the forest. "You hear that?" I ask, tugging on one of his ears. "It's the lamentation of a spirit that had its light stolen. Where in the world could it be?" I laugh. "You better find it soon… Don't blame me for your world's fate if you laze around! Come on! Snap to it!"

I can tell that he's not happy with me as we begin to search the woods. Not that I really care about his opinion of me at all. Quite frankly, I don't think very highly of him either. Besides, I'm not helping him because I want to; I'm doing it because I have to.

**Sorry that this chapter is so long! I know many of you are excited for when Link changes back into a human and i can tell you right now, that i already have it planned for the next chapter and that it will be some great interaction between Link and Midna! Thanks for all the nice reviews. Until Next time!**


	6. The Chosen

_Chapter 6: The Chosen_

Not even a minute after we start looking for the spirit, more black spikes rain down from a Twilit portal in the sky, followed by three shadow beasts. "Pfft, penned in again!" I hiss, but then I leap off his back, much to his surprise. "No need to take on these little pests one at a time, right? Take them on all at once!" He gives me yet another stupefied look as I vanish into thin air, calling out: "You can handle this one on your own, right? Good luck! 'Bye!"

I watch not very far away as he fights the shadow beasts. And he almost manages to wipe them out, when the last one remaining lets out an ear-splitting screech that calls the other fallen two back to action. They attack him and I roll my eyes. I really do have to do everything for him... I sigh as I come back into his field of vision. "What's the holdup?" I ask, appearing on his back again, startling him. "If you leave the last one of these guys alive, they're just going to use that shriek to bring the others back again. But since I'm such a kind and gracious mistress, I think I'll help you out this one time. You get them all close together, and I'll entrap them in an energy field so that you can take them out all at once. Got it?"

He nods in understanding and does what I tell him to, and in no time at all, he has the creatures defeated. "Not bad," I say, giving him a menial pat on the side. "Keep listening to me like that and it will take you far."

He ignores me and continues on through the forest, passing by another spring along the way. A cloud of dim light hangs over it, probably a fallen light spirit. Whatever it is it calls out to the wolf, beckoning him to it. _"__...Please...be careful...," _it says in a weak voice._ These woods...have changed... The dark clouds of dusk cover this land... This drape of shadows is called...twilight."_

_Must they always make Twilight sound so awful…? _I think, sighing. I'd much rather prefer Twilight over their overbearing light any day.

"_In this twilight, those who lived in the light...become as mere spirits..." _the spirit goes on. "_It is a place...where the dark ones and evil creatures dwell…"_

"They didn't until Zant showed up…" I mutter under my breath so that neither the wolf not the spirit can hear.

"_I...am a spirit...of light..." _It confirms. "_Blue-eyed beast... Look...for my light... Retrieve the light stolen by the dark beasts...and keep it...in this vessel." _The spirit makes an interesting object that looks like an empty vine appear and bestows it to the wolf to contain the lost light in.

"_In the shadows of twilight...the dark insects are as...invisible...as normal beings are here..." _the spirit cautions. "_...Find...the insects of darkness...The dark insects... They are the form taken by evil...once it has latched on to...our scattered light..."_

We leave the spring and head deeper into the forest, searching for the shadow insects carefully along the way. Luckily, he's able to see them with his senses, so I let him do pretty much all the work and I relax for a bit. We manage to find several scattered out in the open across the forest, but some are not as obvious. A few we find in the house of a man who lives in the middle of the woods, scared out of his wits by the invading monsters outside. A few more are lurking in a clearing that is covered by a poisonous fog that we avoid by scaling the trees above it. And the last few we find after we save a monkey that the dark insects had scared into submission.

The full vessel of light instantly transports us back to the spirit's spring. Light begins to fill the area once more, but before I retreat back into the wolf's shadow, I give him a little speech. "Aww…" I whine, bounding in front of him and crossing my arms. "The Twilight was so nice… What's so great about a world of light anyway?" I shrug in disappointment, but then let out a light laugh as I wave to him. "See you later!" And with that, I disappear into his shadow once more.

The light spirit appears in the form of a giant monkey and I groan as the waters of the spring illuminate with its light. _Hopefully the spirit doesn't blabber on too long… _I think, wanting to get away from the piercing light as soon as I can.

"_My name is Faron,"_ the light spirit announces in a stronger voice than it used before. _"I am one of the spirits of light who dwell in Hyrule. I use the life force of the gods to protect this forest."_

Suddenly a bright light begins to envelop the wolf, though he doesn't seem to take notice of it. _What's going on? _I think in confusion as I watch from the shadows. The light grows ever brighter as the spirit continues._ "__That was a sign... It was a sign that the powers of the chosen one rest within you...and that they are awakening." _

I have absolutely what the spirit is going on about, as the light covers the wolf completely. _"Look at your awakened form," _the spirit says as the light flashes strongly, and then all at once vanishes from him. I almost gasp when I see that he has returned to his human self. It's my first time getting a good look at his human form. He's of a medium build, strong and lean looking. He's young; only about seventeen or so, with dark blonde hair and those same blue eyes. He's wearing strange green clothes that I don't remember seeing him in when he first entered the Twilight…

_Not bad…_ I think, a slight smirk on my face as I notice the sword and shield are strapped to his back. _At least he looks a little like a hero now…_

The boy gasps in surprise when he finds that he's a human once more and that his clothes have changed. The spirit prattles on, despite his surprise. _"The green tunic that you are wearing once belonged to a hero chosen by the gods," _the spirit says as the boy continues to examine his new clothing. _"His power is yours. His is the true power that slept within you."_

He opens his mouth to say something, but he is stopped by the spirit. _"Your name is Link," _It says and I glance at the hero once more. It is? I had never really thought about what his name could have been before, not that it was really any matter to me. I shrug, figuring that I'll probably forget it. _"You are the hero chosen by the gods." _

_Impressive… _I think, smirking once more. So the gods of Hyrule chose him to be the hero specifically… Then certainly with credentials like that, saving the Twilight Realm will be easy for him.

"_Brave Link…" _the spirit says to the somewhat confused and stunned boy. He even has that same look of stupidity on his face. I can't help but roll my eyes from the shadows. "_A dark power rests in the temple deep within theses woods…" _I perk up at these words, realizing the significance of them to my situation. _"It is a forbidden power, locked away by the other spirits of light and I long ago…" _

I grin wickedly from the shadows, stroking the Fused Shadow that rests on my head. I already know that the spirit is most definitely referring to one of the Fused Shadows. It's about time I finally get to looking for it! And how lucky am I that the light spirit is explaining it to the hero for me! I won't have to put up with whatever stupid questions he could have about them.

"_Because of its dark nature, it is a power that should never be touched by one who dwells in the light," _Faron explains. _"Yet this world weeps under a mantle of shadows, so there is no choice… the only way is to match the power of the king of shadows…"_

_Of course it is!_ I think, the pieces of my plan perfectly fitting together in my mind. The only way that we could hope to defeat Zant is with the power of the Fused Shadows. And now that I have someone to look for them for me, taking Zant down should be a breeze.

"_If you would seek this forbidden power…" _the spirit says as it starts to vanish out of sight. _"Then proceed with caution to the temple hidden in the depths of the forest…"_

The spirit disappears, leaving the boy standing there in confusion. My grin as I rise from his shadow. "Well, well…" I laugh, shooting him a quick wink. "You're the chosen hero and all that, huh? So THAT'S why you turned in that beast in the Twilight!" I laugh once more as he blinks at me blankly, and then a sudden flash of anger shows up on his features.

"Hey, wait!" he says, glaring at me. "Who are you anyway? Why have you been helping me?"

I snicker deviously. "And why do you need to know that?" I ask smoothly. "Just be glad I'm offering you my services. Without my help, you'd still be sitting in that jail cell, howling like a sad little wolf…" I laugh again, seeing the clear frustration in his eyes.

"I can find them without your help, you know…" he proclaims angrily.

"Oh really?" I say darkly, gliding in closer to him. "You think you can just waltz on into the Twilight, hoping to find those kids all on your own? How incredibly brave… and stupid! First of all, those shadow beasts would tear you to shreds, even if you could get in there by yourself. But you need my help to do that, remember?" I scold him, but I keep smirking at him the whole time, much to his annoyance.

"Don't remind me…" he mutters as he crosses his arms.

"Oh come on…" I patronize. "Don't be like that… After all, I did help you get that sword and shield…"

"But I did all of the work to get them!" he protests. "Where do you get off, bossing me around like you own me?"

"Last time I checked…" I say, rolling my eyes as the smile fades from my face. "You're the servant, and I'm the mistress. You know, I think I liked you better when you couldn't sass me. But who knows? Maybe you'd rather wander around as a spirit like the rest of them, totally unaware of what was happening for all eternity, right?"

"At least then I wouldn't have to deal with you," he says smartly.

I glare at him fiercely. "Boy, you sure are thick!" I hiss, wishing that I could hit him. "I told you, you idiot! You NEED me! You know you do! So I highly suggest you hurry to that temple and stop crossing me, or else!"

"Fine!" he says after a moment of pouting. "But, I plan on doing things my way!"

"So you think…" I mutter mysteriously. "But isn't this convenient! I have to be heading to the temple myself so it all works out after all…"

"Why do you need to go there?" he asks and I glare at him again.

"Listen…" I say, trying my best to be patient with him. "Don't ask stupid questions. You want to rescue your friends, right? Well, the way I see it, maybe they're in that temple. Waiting for you to rescue them…"

His eyes widen at my suggestion, and I can tell that it's working. "Well," I say, satisfied that he'll go there. "Good luck, Mr. Important Hero!" I call out, getting ready to return to his shadow.

"I have a name, you know…" he mutters, still upset.

"Oh really?" I ask sarcastically. "I was just planning on calling you 'servant' because that's exactly what you are." I laugh once more as I see the anger flash on his features. "But if it keeps you quiet then I guess I can be bothered to call you by your proper name…"

"It's Link," he says. "What's yours again? I remember the princess saying it, but I can't remember…"

I roll my eyes at him. "My name is Midna," I say, but a wicked smile crosses my face as an idea comes to me. "But you will refer to me as 'Mistress Midna', got it?"

"Midna?" he repeats.

"MISTRESS Midna!" I insist.

"Fine," he glowers. " 'Mistress' Midna… Where'd you come from anyway? And why do you look like a shadow when we're not in Twilight?"

"What did I say?" I ask, exasperated. "Don't ask stupid questions. And stop wasting time! Hurry up and get to that temple!" I laugh once more as I hide in his shadow again. "See you later!"

**Hahahaha... I can't believe how fun it was to write that last part, especially considering that my computer wiped out the entire first half of this chapter so i had to rewrite it. anyway, now we can finally get going with some fun exchanges between Link and Midna! But until then... "See you later"~Midna ;)**


	7. The Forest

_Chapter 7: The Forest_

Of course, he starts to head towards the temple like I told him to and for the moment, he doesn't argue. At least, for a moment or two.

"Hey Midna?" he asks as he's walking through a cave that connects two different parts of the woods.

"Hm," is all I say, rolling my eyes from the shadows. Can't he remember anything?

"Midna?"

"…" I remain silent and by this point, we're both annoyed.

"Oh right!" he says, somewhat irritated. "O _Mistress _Midna?" he asks sarcastically.

"What do you want?" I hiss, not really wanting to converse.

"Why are we going to the temple anyway?"

"Because the light spirit told you to," I say curtly. "And because you're the 'chosen hero' or something like that. I don't really care. Just do what I tell you and we won't have a problem."

He doesn't answer, but I can see the scowl on his face. I laugh to myself, realizing that picking on him when he's a human is actually funnier than picking on him when he's a wolf. And it's so easy too, because everything I say gets to him. In fact, he's still fuming by the time we make it out of the cave and into the fog covered clearing.

We're both distracted though, when a strange monkey runs up behind him and swipes the lantern that he had used to see his way through the dark cave. The monkey heads into the clearing, waving the lantern above its head wildly.

"Hey!" I say rising from his shadow. "What's this monkey's problem?"

"It has my lantern!" He proclaims.

"Are you kidding me?" I place my hands on my hips. "You idiot! While you were gazing off into dreamland, that monkey took off with your lantern!"

"But I wasn't-" I cut him off before he can make any stupid excuses.

"Don't just stand there with your mouth agape like that!" I shout at him. "Go and get that lantern back!"

Without another word, he chases the monkey through the clearing, and once he's on the other side, the monkey drops the lantern and runs off.

"It's out of oil!" he whines when he picks it up off of the ground.

"Oh stop complaining!" I command. "That's what's you get for being such a scatterbrain! The temple's right up ahead. Get to it!"

"I'm going!" he says, clearly frustrated. I can't help but grin narrowly as he heads towards the temple. I think he may be even dumber now that he's a human.

When enter the darkened forest temple, we find that the monkey from earlier has beat us there. "Isn't that the monkey that stole your lantern?" I ask as we watch the monkey frantically jump up and down, waving its arms wildly. "Doesn't it look like she's beckoning you? My, aren't you the popular one!" I let out another laugh and he groans in aggravation, but decides to follow the animal nonetheless.

Like I expected, he's rather handy with that sword. He's able to use it with much more skill than I thought he would have with it, and manages to slice his way through many of the temple's obstacles that impede his way. But I keep the fact that I'm impressed to myself, lest it go to his head.

The temple is composed of several outdoor parts, where the wind is blowing strong and forceful. We follow the monkey into one of these outdoor corridors, where another, larger monkey seems to be waiting. The smaller monkey lets out a frightful screech as she crosses a worn wooden bridge and in one swift movement, the larger animal tosses a boomerang and severs the cords holding the bridge together and then retreats. The monkey manages to make it back to our side of the gap and the hero sighs in disappointment.

"What's going on?" I say, rising from the shadows to get a better look. "Has there been a monkey fight?" I laugh lightly, much to his annoyance.

"The bridge is out…" he says pointing to the wide gap.

"So it is…" I say thoughtfully. "Well I guess there's nothing we can do here at the moment. We might as well head on back. I'm not sure, but I think that monkey wants you to follow her somewhere, so why not?"

He nods and turns to exit the door, but not before flashing a quick smile and saying to me, "Thanks for the advice."

I open my mouth to give a witty reply, knowing that he's being sarcastic. But I say nothing. I think I'll let him have this one.

We continue to follow the monkey through the temple, eventually meeting up with other monkeys along the way. Their behavior is strange, how they seem to want to lead us through the temple, but neither of us question it too much. After all, they seem to know this place pretty well.

At one point, we catch up with the monkey with the boomerang. He fights the meddlesome creature and drives it away, and luckily for us, the creature leaves its boomerang behind.

"Even the monkeys should be satisfied now," I muse as he takes the boomerang. He gives me another quick grin, one that almost looks genuine and I continue casually, trying not to show my confusion. "Anyway, let's keep combing this place for anything else that could be of use. Go look in the places you haven't checked yet."

He simply nods and leaves the room, checking the temple like I told him to. At the same time, I'm a little bothered by something. What's with him finally complying with what I tell him? I know I should be glad that he's not complaining, but what's the reason for the sudden change? _Maybe it's because I'm being too easy on him… _I think and a scowl crosses my face. He needs to realize that I'M in charge, not him. And I intend to show him.

Eventually, he manages to free all of the captured monkeys that are in the temple and in exchange for his help, they create a path for him so he can advance deeper into the temple. In the deepest part of the temple however, is a large, monstrous plant; no doubt the creature guarding the Fused Shadow. Without hesitation, the hero fights the wicked plant and manages to defeat it with relative ease. And from its remains, emerges the dark relic: the first of the Fused Shadows.

I rise from the shadows and laugh quietly as he stares at the thing with curiosity. "What is this?" he asks me, somewhat bothered by its strange appearance.

"That's…" I hesitate, but then go on, realizing that I might as well tell him what it is. "What I was looking for… It's called a Fused Shadow…"

"What's it for?" he asks, staring at it in awe.

I grin broadly. "It's what the light spirit called 'dark power'," I say. "Do remember what the spirit said? About how you must match the power of the king of shadows?"

"Yeah, but-"

"This will help us do it…" I say darkly, with a wicked smile on my face. Only two more and Zant will be defeated… "Could it really by this easy though?" I muse aloud. "Is this all there is to it?" I laugh once more, seeing the look of bewilderment on his face. "There are a total of three Fused Shadows…" _Plus the one I already have… _I think, but I decide not to tell him that just yet. "I was told that the other light spirits have the rest…"

"I still don't know what they do…" he says, frowning with worry.

"If you want to know exactly what they are…" I start, but then smirk at him and give him a wink. "Maybe I'll tell you when you find the other two… So I guess you'd better do your best to find them all, hm?"

"But-" he begins to protest, but I stop him.

"Let's not waste anymore time when you could be out there searching for the other two!" I say, floating away from him. "I can get you out of here. Come on!" I beckon to him as I create a portal that will lead out of the temple. He cautiously steps into it and we are transported back to the light spirit's spring.

Almost the minute we arrive back at the spring, the light spirit calls out to him once again. _What now? _I think, rolling my eyes as the light spirit speaks.

"_Heroic Link…" _it starts in its surreal voice. "_Do not think that Hyrule is now spared from the spread of Twilight… Leave these woods and go to the west, where you will find the land that is protected by the spirit Eldin… There you will find those you seek… But know that these lands lie in Twilight… They are now a darkened realm covered in dusk. If you set foot beyond the curtain of Twilight, then you will revert to your beast form so be prepared… Hero chosen by the gods… go to the west and rescue the spirit Eldin…"_

The spirit's presence fades and I emerge from the shadows, crossing my arms as I smile at him. "That's better…" I say thoughtfully. "Searching should be much easier now, hm?"

"Come on," he says turning to leave, a look of firm determination on his face. "I have to get to the Eldin province."

"Why?" I ask coyly. "Because you feel the need to play Mr. Hero and save the other light spirits?"

"Maybe…" he says, glancing at me from over his shoulder. "But I have to go find the kids. The light spirit said they'd be there."

I stare at him piercingly. "What's so important about those kids anyway?" I ask, somewhat bitterly. "Your entire world is in danger, yet the only reason you want to help it is because those kids are in trouble too. Why?"

He sighs and turns away from me. "They're my friends," is all he says as he begins to head away from the spring.

I almost want to mock him about it, but something inside tells me that I shouldn't. I don't know why I should even care. After all, those kids are the hook that keeps him bound to my bidding. Yet for some reason, I almost feel… sorry for him… I roll my eyes at the thought. He's my _servant_. I shouldn't care how he feels. And I don't. Well… _No, _I think firmly, shaking my head as we go on. _I don't care. I don't. He's not my friend. He's not anyone. He's just my servant. Nothing more._

_**So in case your wondering, there's not going to be any Link/Midna shipping in this. I find that relationship to be kind of weird and its not going be any of it in this story. They'll eventually grow to tolerate one another and be friends, but that's just about it. So anyway, until next time!**  
_


	8. The Forgotten

_**Its been two days and i have been to lazy to update! hahahaha... well, here's chapter 8, and i just wanted to thank everyone for all of the great reviews and suggestions! I have taken a few of them to mind! :D Enjoy!**  
_

_Chapter 8: The Forgotten_

We're both quiet as we head towards the exit of the forest. He must be lost in his thoughts, much like I am at the moment.

My mind wanders to thoughts of the Twilight Realm. My home; my kingdom… Now in the hands of Zant, the Twilight Realm is no doubt suffering, perhaps even more than the world of light is. I scowl as I wonder why this world of light has to be saved before the Twilight Realm anyway. Really, I could care less about whether or not the world of light is restored to normal. After all, it was their princess' own foolishness that plunged the kingdom into such a state. But I suppose that if restoring the light to Hyrule will led us to the Fused Shadows, then I guess shouldn't be complaining.

We finally break out of the forest into a clearing that opens out onto a large field. The minute the field comes into view, he stops and gazes across it, his mouth and eyes open wide in wonder.

"Oh what now?" I roll my eyes as I emerge from the shadows. "What's the hold up?"

For a moment he doesn't answer. I frown at him and shout angrily, "What's the matter with you?!"

"Huh?" he says, blinking. "Oh sorry. It's just… I've never really… left the forest before…"

"What?" I ask, to make sure that I heard him right. "You mean to tell me that you've never seen all of Hyrule until now?"

He nods and then smiles lightly. "Yeah, I guess so," he says as he continues walking. I listen from the shadows as he continues. "I was actually supposed to leave the forest a few days ago to deliver something to the royal family from my village, but then…" he trails off, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Those kids were taken?" I ask out of curiosity. "And you were dragged into the Twilight?"

He nods again and doesn't say anything else. His pace quickens as he heads in the direction of the curtain of Twilight hanging over the western area of the field.

Something stirs inside me. Again, I feel like I should feel sorry for him but I reprimand myself for it. I don't normally feel compassion for anyone; it's just not in my nature. But for some strange reason, some part of me wants to pity him for all that has happened and feels terrible about how I have treated him. After all, he has had everything torn from him: his friends, his peaceful life. But then again, why should it matter to me at all? My problems are much more pressing than his, by far. He's lost only a few kids. I've lost my entire kingdom.

By the time we make it to the Twilight barrier, night has fallen. The air is thick and heavy with the presence of Twilight and instantly, I feel ready to enter into its grasp once more. The hero, on the other hand, looks less prepared. He stands in front of it and gazes at it uneasily.

"Well…" I smirk as I exit his shadow. "It was much closer than I thought… Are you ready? If you step foot in there, you'll transform into a wolf again and you might stay that way for quite some time… For at least as long as it takes for you to save the light spirit of Eldin anyway… So, should we try to go see the light spirit Eldin? You want me to let you into the Twilight?"

He stares at the Twilight barrier and sighs. He then looks at me and nods. "Yes," he says, no doubt bracing himself for the change. "I'm ready."

I grin widely. "Good…" I say darkly as I cross over the barrier into the Twilight. I waste no time once I'm there. I reach over and grab him, dragging him from the world of light into that of Twilight.

I let him go, this time sprawled out on the ground as I watch him from a few feet away. He's still human as he slowly rises to his feet, but suddenly he lets out a painful cry and his shape changes quickly, much quicker than it did the first time. One second he's a human, and the very next he is a wolf once more.

He leaps slightly in surprise as I land on his back with a giggle. "That's a good boy…" I patronize him as I stroke his side roughly. His first foolish inclination is to growl at me which I respond to with a swift smack to the back of his head. He yelps in pain and recoils, and I chuckle cruelly. All inclinations to feel sorry for him are suddenly gone as I reclaim my rightful control. "Don't you remember?" I say sharply. "You need to listen to what I say from now on… _right_?" I tug one of his ears hard and he nods in assurance.

"Good," I say firmly and I let out a relaxed yawn. "Ahh… The black clouds of Twilight are so fetching today! I feel so much more at ease here in the beautiful Twilight… And you look much better like this than in those dusty old clothes anyway!" I laugh once more and he glares at me, but catches himself before he starts growling. I roll my eyes. "And at least now, you can't back sass me… Come on," I say jokingly. "Let's get going and find that light spirit!"

He trudges along on following the path ahead, but we are quickly stopped by something small lying in the middle of the road. As he approaches the object that looks like a small pouch, I can see his blue eyes flash with excitement upon it. He must sense something important about it.

"See?" I say smugly as his pace quickens along the uphill path. "Isn't being a wolf more convenient? Do you sense something intriguing?" I let out a small laugh as he nods in confirmation. "I think that you've begun to reawaken as a wolf…" I trail off mysteriously as we go on.

Eventually, the rock walls that surround us on both sides give way to another section of the field. In almost the middle of the field is a gap that, while not being too wide, is still impossible to simply jump over. From the wooden posts that stand on either side of it, it appears that a bridge was there once, but now it's completely gone, leaving us with no way over it.

"Well that's strange…" I say, gliding over to the gap with him following close behind me. "How are we going to get across? This must be the work of those shadow creatures… Well, don't just stand there! Let's go look for something to use as a bridge!"

He gives me a blank look, showing that he has no idea where to start looking. "Oh brother…" I sigh in exasperation. "I guess I can make this a bit easier for you… I can use my power to take you out of the Twilight if you want. So… you wanna go?"

He glances at the gap for a second and nods. I grin and use some magic to transport both of us from the Twilight covered field, and back to the woods. "See?" I proclaim proudly from his shadow, as he glances around the woods. "I told you! Most people can't exit the Twilight that easily so you should be grateful! Now go find that bridge!"

We don't have to look very hard for something to use as a bridge, since only a few feet away from where we arrived is a large wooden structure. I smile when I see it. It's the perfect bridge. "Well aren't we lucky?" I say as I rise from the shadows to get a better look. "It's perfect, don't you think? Should we take it?"

He scans it over for a moment and then nods in agreement. I laugh brightly. "That's a good obedient little wolf!" I say in a joking tone. His blue eyes flash with bitterness like they always do when I tease him like this. I laugh once more as I cast a little magic onto the bridge and motion with my hands to lift it from the ground. I can feel some of its weight but it's nothing too unmanageable. And, just as quickly as we were transported to the forest, we are back in the Twilight, this time, with the bridge in tow.

I place it over the gap and then let it fall. Just as I thought, it covers the gap perfectly, making an ideal bridge. "See?" I ask him coyly as he arrives back in the Twilight a second later. "Isn't the power of Twilight amazing? If you feel like you need the power of Twilight again… just give me a call. It should help you find what you're looking for…" I give him a sly wink and land on his back once more. _What would he do without me? _I grin devilishly as we travel towards the far side of the field.

Closing off whatever's after it, is a wide iron gate barring the path ahead of us. "That's a pretty elaborate gate…" I muse, as I see a few dark creatures wandering around on the other side of it. "I wonder what they're trying to keep in… or out? I'll bet that its worth our while to dig our way in there, huh?"

He does so, and I phase through the thing with ease and we both reappear on the other side of the gate at the same time, surprising the group of three monsters awaiting us on the other side. The hero makes easy work of the weak beasts and continues up the hill once more.

The grassy field diminishes into a dusty dirt road that leads to a decrepit village. The place shows no signs of life at all and there's a haunting wind blowing through it. But luckily for us, quite close to the entrance is a familiar looking spring. And sure enough, from it a surreal, but weak voice calls out.

"_To the hero…" _the bleak voice of the light spirit calls to him. "_who was transformed into the form of a blue-eyed beast… in the realm of dusk… in the Twilight… Come this way…"_

The hero obediently walks over to the darkened waters of the spring and perks his ears up to listen to the words of the spirit. I sit up straighter on his back, training my ears to listen for any mention of the Fused Shadow.

"_I am… a spirit of light…" _it says mournfully. _"O Hero… chosen by the gods… look for my… scattered light… gather the light stolen… into this…" _The spirit give him another one of those vessels that looks identical to the one Faron gave him. _"Find the dark insects… Hidden as they cling onto my lost light… much like… people from the world of… light are… Find the tears… of light… and be careful… The darkness… now hunts you…" _The light spirit finishes, and we leave the spring to search the area for the lost light.

Quite close to the spring is a small rounded house. I spot a ledge that can be used for us to get on the roof, where a dark insect could be hiding. "Come on," I whisper as I glide to the ledge and he leaps towards me. Once we're on the roof however, both of us fail to see that a large hole encompasses most of it, and we both fall through to whatever is inside.

Recovering from the short fall, we both notice that there are several spirits of light being in here. He uses his senses to see them in their true forms, but I can already see them. The hero perks up when he sees their true forms, his blues eyes wide with excitement. I steal a glance at the group of humans, clustered together in fear on one side of the room. The group consists of four children and that's when it hits me: they are the kids that he's been looking for. Immediately, a pit forms in my stomach. Now that he's found them, after he restores the light to this area, how will I get him to keep searching for the Fused Shadows? But then I calm down, realizing that there's one more who is not here: the older girl who looked to be about his age. He'll still have to save her, won't he?

The four children all wear similar clothes, most likely because they're from the same village. There's only one girl; she's short, with light brown hair and a mischievous glint in her eyes, though they are filled with fear at the moment. Another one is a boy who likes like he is the exact same age as her, with messy dark brown hair and a look of worry as he stares down at the floor. Yet another has light blonde hair and has a slightly different manner than the other; he's just as fearful, but he's also calmer in a way for some reason. Standing a few feet away from them is a very small boy, who doesn't look to be that old at all. His face is emotionless as he stares at the rest of the children, who are huddled around a sagely looking man who seems to be consoling them. Another girl who is dressed similarly to him sits nearby, with hair as dark as his and similar facial features. They all sit there, in dense fear of what could be lurking outside of their feeble safe house. And of course, they have no idea that the hero is there at all.

"Cripes!" A voice shouts out and the hero and I turn to look at a man who is peering out the window of the house that we didn't notice before. He is middle aged, with a welder's mask on his face and a fearful and shaky tone. "I don't see those black brutes anywhere! They gotta be hiding somewhere, waiting for their little prey to come out. And then, they'll FEAST!"

"Barnes…" The man who is sitting with the children sighs in exasperation and glances down at the sniveling boy who is holding onto him for safety. "We are safe so long as we remain here, child…Be at ease." he tells the boy in a calming tone. He must know better than that though. No matter where they go, beings of light are never truly safe in the Twilight.

"Oh yeah?" the other man, Barnes, asks doubtfully as he lifts the mask up, revealing his eyes covered by large glasses. "I wonder if the monsters out there agree with you… They sure didn't seem impressed by my bombs! How long do you think we can hold out in this sanctuary against beasts that strong, huh? Once they attack, its OVER! Remember the lady from the general store? Just one of those things attacked her and a whole gang from town went to save her! And what happened to her? She was already gone when they got there and there were TWO monsters waiting! Connecting the dots yet? If we get attacked by them, then that means… we'll be…"

"BARNES!" the other man shouts angrily, seeing that the tale is scaring the children even more. I can't help by roll my eyes at that tale though. Twilight doesn't transform most people into dark beasts and being attacked by one most certainly wouldn't. No, most likely, that woman was just devoured by two different beasts, but the people saw that as he turning into one of them. Nonetheless, the girl begins to weep and he raises an eyebrow at Barnes in disappointment.

"Look Renado…" Barnes says, as he places the mask over his face once more and sinks to the floor. "All I mean to say is that it's risky in here too! Ain't you got some place safe we can hide?"

The other man, Renado, hesitates for a moment before answering him. "There is… a cellar…" he says uneasily.

Barnes perks up and quickly crawls closer to Renado, almost like an animal would. "WHAT?!" he spits. "You got a CELLAR! Where's the entrance, man?!"

Renado gazes around the dark room. "The cellar will open when all of the candles in the room have been lit…" he says, referring to the candles that line the wall. Barnes immediately picks up a stray piece of wood lying on the floor and lights it ablaze on the one already lit torch in the room. He heads towards the first of the unlit candles, but stumbles when the dark haired girl interrupts him.

"I would not do that…" she says in a calm voice. "When father instructed me to secure the cellar, I saw insect-like beasts outside." I give the hero a light tap on the side and grin at him knowingly. Of course, she is talking about the dark insects. They must be nearby.

The other girl is still weeping, her face buried into her hands. The blonde-haired boy places a hand on her shoulder and tries to console her. The hero's eyes are trained on his every move. "Don't cry Beth!" the boy says in a hopeful tone. "It'll be OK!" He reaches for one of her hands, but she sobs even harder. The boy thinks for a moment and then smiles lightly. "Link is coming to save us all!" The hero perks up at the sound of his name and I frown once more. The girl immediately stops crying and looks at him in realization. The eyes of the other two village boys widen as well. Renado and the dark haired girl show signs of confusion on their faces and Barnes is clearly confused by the idiotic look in his eyes. The blonde boy looks down and finished quietly, "I can feel it…!"

A tense silence fills the room once again as I look down at the hero. What could possibly be going through his head right now? I frown for a moment, but then smile easily once more, leaning back as I yawn. "These kids knew you were coming to save them!" I say with actual sincerity. "What a hero!" Quickly though, I change my manner back to my normal joking one. "How sad though… to be right in front of them and not be noticed at all!" I let out a laugh as I see the saddened look on his face.

"You are the hero chosen by that gods, and ONLY that keeps you from being turned into a spirit like the rest of them," I remind him coyly. "And no one knows what you've done… You may be doomed to toil in obscurity forever!" I snicker once more and he doesn't hesitate to growl at me bitterly. I decide to let it slide this once though, considering the circumstances. "I can tell that you're the type to worry about every little thing…" I say as a sudden thought comes to my mind. I grin cruelly, but then let it go as I continue. "But you don't need to fret over Princess Zelda. She CHOSE this state of affairs after all…" I say with contempt for the princess. "Anyway what's with having to light candles to get to the basement!" I change the subject, realizing that we need to get back on track. "Not very subtle, is it? So… what are you going to do now? My lonely little hero!" I laugh once more as he gets moving so he can solve this puzzle.

He steals one last glance at the children though and I look down to see the pain in his eyes. I glower at the entire thing. After saving them, I'm almost certain that he'll try to weasel his way out of finding the rest of the Fused Shadows. Of course, he WILL find the rest. I'll make sure of that, but still… it would be nice if he wouldn't complain about it, which I'm sure he will. Yet again, I feel that pang of guilt and pity tug on my heart. And for once I let it. After all, it can't be easy being a forgotten hero.

**Oh Minda! Are you starting to actually feel SORRY for Link?! Hahaha Until next time! :D**


	9. The Argument

_Chapter 9: The Argument_

There are three shadow insects hiding in the cellar of the sanctuary, which makes lighting the torches worthwhile for us after all. After gathering the three tears of light from them, I direct him as he climbs up some scaffolding and we emerge in a graveyard. There, we find another dark insect and with it, another tear of light.

I don't pick on him like I normally would as we're searching though. And for some reason, the silence seems to create an odd tension between us. It's as though our interactions thrive on burning remarks at one another most of the time. At the moment, I'm not really sure how I feel about him though. I doubt I actually despise as much as I did when we first met, but we're far from being good friends. So far, he has been pretty obedient and has served his purpose well, so what's the point in screaming at him if he's doing what he's told?

My mind is so wrapped up in thought that I almost don't notice that the building we've just entered has caught fire.

"Hey!" I shout, my eyes wide as the flames quickly spread throughout the place. "What did you do?!" Once again, he has the look of stupidity on his face, as though he didn't mean to catch the house on fire, but I scoff anyway. "Look, as romantic as this is, I'm not staying in here with you. I'm getting out!" I quickly phase through the walls of the burning building, leaving him to fend for himself. A small pang of guilt hits me, as I realize that, knowing him, he may have trouble finding a way out of there. What if he doesn't make it of there? What will become of the Twilight Realm then? My fears are diminished though a minute or two later when his head pops up from the soil near the house. Of course. I should have figured that he would have dug himself out. Maybe he's not so stupid after all…

I reclaim my spot on his back as he dashes away from the house, as it explodes in its entirety, leaving only its smoldering remains and three tears of light in its place. "Impressive…" I admit, grinning down at him. Its then that I notice that some of the fur on one of his front paws has been seared off, leaving freshly burned skin in its place. "Hey," I say, not hiding the sudden look of worry on my features. "Does that hurt?" I point at the wound and when he sees it he seems surprised. "You can walk… right?" I ask, somewhat concerned. He tests it and yelps out in pain as he applies his full weight. "Perfect…" I say in annoyance. "What are we going to do now?" He glances up at me for a moment, and then, with trouble, limps forward anyway, grimacing with pain with every step. I watch him in slight worry and confusion as he goes to claim the tears of light, despite his injury.

"Um…" I say, not sure of what to make of his determination, so I change the subject. "Well, I don't suppose there's any nicer way to hunt these things, huh?" I gaze at the ashes of the ruined house around us. "Well, you had to sacrifice someone's house to find the tears of light…" _And get burned in the process… _I think, but I don't say that aloud. "But that's the way the cookie crumbles, right?" I laugh, though not with my normal verve. He heads on nonetheless, even though I can see that the burn is still bothering him, as he tracks down the rest of the tears of light in the village.

The remaining light is located on a mountain that overlooks the village, and we take the trail that connects two together. Along the path up there are several more beings of light, all of them large, rocklike creatures which, if I remember correctly, are called Gorons. Finding the rest of the scattered light is actually rather easy, but all the while, I can't help but be concerned about the hero and his injury. Will it still be there when he transforms back into a human? And why does he press on even though he's clearly hurt? Why doesn't he try to heal himself in some way and then find the rest of the light? I'm still bothered by all of it when he manages to gather the last tear of light and we are transported back to the spirit's spring, the light restored to the Eldin Province.

I bounce out of his shadow for a second as I see him transform back into a human, much faster than he did the first time. And this time he seems to be aware of the change too, since he looks down at his right hand, and the burn is still apparent on it. He strokes in gingerly, wincing with pain as he does so and I simply watch his painful expression as he does so.

"Well?" I finally ask, looking at him expectantly.

"It hurts…" he says through gritted teeth. "But I'll be fine," he says assuredly. "After all, I use my left hand more."

"Lucky for you…" I say, distantly as I stare at his hand as it falls to his side, still throbbing red. "Well… I guess all I have to say for now is…" I trail off for a moment, but then give him a light smile. "Hurry up and find that Fused Shadow!" He returns my smile for some reason as I drift back into his shadow, calling out, "See you later!"

Once again, I can barely stand the light spirit's bright light as it emerges from the spring, fully revitalized. "_My name is Eldin…" _it proclaims in its mysterious voice. _"I am one of the light spirits of Hyrule. I am spirit that guards these lands. O great hero chosen by the gods… The dark power you seek lies in the sacred grounds of the proud mountain dwellers." _So the Gorons have the Fused Shadow… Well it least it won't be too much of a trek, hopefully. _"But those grounds have been defiled, draped in shadow and seeded with evil. You must go to those grounds and cleanse them." _The spirit vanishes in a quick flash of light, and I leave the hero's shadow once again.

"Well at least it was concise this time," I place my hands on my hips as I give him a quick wink. "You know what to do! Go get the Fused Shadow!" I remind him again.

"I will!" he says, though not as huffy as I expected he would. "But I have to do something first…" he glances over at the sanctuary where the kids are and then back at me once more.

"Fine," I say, shrugging my shoulders. "But just remember that if you don't find all of those Fused Shadows, this whole tragedy could repeat itself… maybe next time with less fortunate results…" He frowns, realizing that I'm right. Once again, I have him hooked. "So I guess you have to keep doing what I say, if you ever want them to be truly safe…" I laugh darkly as I return to the shadows once again.

He steps out of the spring without hesitation and almost the moment that he does, he notices one of the children, the blonde haired boy, standing in the doorway of the sanctuary. The boy, realizing who the hero is calls out excitedly. "Link?!"

The hero smiles at the boy. "Colin!" At once, all of the village children rush out of the sanctuary, pushing the blonde boy, Colin, to the ground.

"Haha!" the brown haired boy laughs triumphantly as they crowd around him. "See Beth? I TOLD you Link would come save us!"

The hero laughs good naturedly as he greets the children each by name. He looks back towards Colin, who picks himself up from the ground and runs over to the hero as well. By now, Renado, Barnes, and the dark haired girl have also emerged from the sanctuary and approach the hero.

"You are the one from Ordon whom these children spoke of?" Renado asks incredulously.

"I guess I am," the hero nods as he smiles down at the children once more.

"Then we are well met," Renado smiles kindly. "I am Renado, the shaman of this town: Kakariko Village. And this is my daughter Luda." Barnes sighs in disappointment, seeing as how Renado skipped over him and sulks away.

Colin speaks up. "The beasts took us and left us to die… but Mr. Renado found us!"

The shaman looks down at the boy and nods. "At first, I could not believe that they had come from such a distant place as the Ordona Province…"

"Yeah…" Colin says sadly. "I… We don't remember much of what happened. All of the sudden everyone was captured and then.. until now… its been like…"

"A nightmare…" the youngest boy mutters.

"Yeah!" Colin chimes in. "It was like a terrible dream that we couldn't wake up from!"

I glance at the hero from his shadows and see both worry and relief in his eyes. The rest of the children are still packed around him, still happy to see him. There's no question they all admire him. I wonder why…

"It seems like nightmares are everywhere these days…" Renado muses. "This village has certainly seen its share of recent hardships…" He gazes up towards the mountain where the Gorons are. "The dark beasts attacked, but even worse was the sudden and inexplicable change in the Goron tribe that lives on Death Mountain. They have long been are friends, but now they treat us humans as their foes and refuse us entry into their mines." My ears tune in closer at this news. Eldin said that the Gorons hold the Fused Shadow, which of course, has the power to corrupt beings of light if they can't control it. Could that be the reason for the Goron's sudden change?

"It strains the limits of belief…" Renado says sadly. "To think that such a proud and gentle tribe could change so suddenly… It makes me wonder if something in those mines is the cause of this change…" _Of course! _I think, grinning. _The Fused Shadow must be in the Goron's Mines!_

"In any case," Renado goes on, turning back to the hero and the children. "You must hurry and take these children back to their village before more nightmares descend. I, of course, cannot leave my village in such dire times. It is my job to coax the Gorons back from their sudden change of heart."

"But I…" the hero begins as the children all look up at him expectantly.

"Well?" I whisper loud enough so only he can hear me. "Tell them that you have to get those mines!"

He quickly glances back at me, hiding in his shadow, but of course, doesn't address me. And then, he simply nods as the group disbands and everyone heads their separate ways. I groan loudly at this foolish move, at his inability to refuse Renado's request but he quickly shushes me, much to my shock. How dare he?! I'm the master here! Not him! Next time we're alone, I'll have a few choice words for him…

He chats with the children for a few minutes, asking them about how they are and if a person named "Ilia" is with them and they all answer no, much to his distress. _She must be the older girl… _I think, still smoldering in anger as they all ask him with concern about his injured hand and he brushes it off as no big deal. And then, for some reason, he asks the children to stay put as he heads towards the path leading to Death Mountain.

When we're out of earshot from the others, I hiss at him from the shadows. "What is the matter with you?!" I spit in frustration. "You know we need to get that Fused Shadow, but you agreed to play 'Mr. Escort' to those dumb kids anyway! I can't believe that you're so stupid! I mean, seriously, you-"

"Quiet," he says firmly, stopping dead in his tracks, his brow furrowed in anger. My mouth falls open in shock at his boldness.

"WHAT did you just say to me!?" I growl wickedly, almost at my wit's end with him.

"I said _quiet_," he says calmly. "I'm not taking the kids back to the village yet so calm down."

"How _dare_ YOU order ME around?!" I shout in outrage. "You are my SERVANT! You will do as I tell you to! UNDERSTAND?!"

He mutters something in frustration and then speaks with such hateful seriousness that it almost frightens me. "Well if I'm not good enough," he says, his eyes flashing with anger. "Why don't you go find another 'servant', huh?!"

"You're right!" I throw up my hands, not caring about what he does anymore. "You obviously won't comply with anything I tell you to, so why don't I go find someone who's more competent than you could ever be to get when I need done accomplished?!" But then I realize, much to my misfortune, that I need him… I need him to get the Fused Shadows and save the Twilight Realm… Of course, I will NEVER admit that him. I will NEVER give him that satisfaction and I will NEVER apologize to him for how I treat him. And, I will NEVER feel sorry for him again.

**Well that could have turned out better, huh? Though it was fun to write in that little argument though! hahaha... Until Next Time!**


	10. The Realization

_Chapter 10: The Realization_

Neither of us says a word to the other for quite a while. We're both still clearly fuming in anger: his fists are clenched at his sides as he walks and his brow is furrowed in frustration. In his shadows, my arms are crossed and I wear a scowl on my face. For some reason, despite his obvious anger at me, he hikes up towards Death Mountain at a heated pace. I'd figure that the last thing he'd want to do at the moment is what I told him to.

The path ahead is blocked off by a tall wall covered with metal wires. He thinks little of the obstacle and just climbs up it using the wires. At the top, he's greeted by a lone Goron who, the moment he spots the hero, shouts something about how no humans are allowed near the mountain and starts barreling towards the hero. He tries to stop the Goron with his bare hands, which of course doesn't work, and instead, he is knocked off of the high ledge and down to the ground below. The Goron yells at him once more and then goes back up to his post.

"You idiot," I mutter from his shadow. "How do you intend to get up there if you can't even get past the first guard?"

He mumbles something angrily as he picks himself up off the ground and dusts himself off. "I'll find a way!" He snaps harshly, glaring back at me. "Just stop fussing at me!"

"I mean it…" I hiss at him. "You're going to get it next time we enter the Twilight for how you keep speaking to me…"

He starts to head back in the direction of the village as he calls out, "You know, we're never going to get anything accomplished if we keep bickering like this."

I don't answer for a moment because I know that he's right. My pride won't allow me to admit that though so I simply answer, "Fine. If you're so tired of me yelling at you, then why don't you just comply with what I say," I say calmly. "That doesn't sound too hard right? You had no problem with it earlier."

I can tell by his expression that he wants to throw a burning remark back at me, but he doesn't. His scowl vanishes and his tone becomes calm like mine. "OK," he says, shrugging his shoulders. "Whatever you say, Mistress Midna…"

At first I think that he's joking, but he's not cracking a smart smile, so I think he may actually be serious. I smile lightly, glad that he's finally seeing things my way. "That's more like it. Maybe you're not as dense as I thought."

"Thanks," he says with a faint smile as we arrive back in the village. Renado is not far away from the entry back into the village, looking perplexed.

"Ah, Link!" he calls out to the hero as he passes by. "It is fortunate that you are in one piece. I saw you head up the trail towards the mountain, so I was worried."

The two discuss the matter at hand for a few minutes and then Renado gives the hero a helpful piece of advice. The Gorons only recognize strength and only one human has ever gained their trust. Apparently, that person is the mayor of the village that the hero is from. _Great… _I think rolling my eyes at this news. _Looks like we have to go all the way back there anyway… _Luckily for us though, we won't be strapped with those kids. Renado agrees to keep the children in Kakariko Village until the monsters clear out from the path between the two villages.

"Well that worked out I suppose," I whisper to the hero as we head back towards the village entrance. "If only there was a faster way to get back there…"

He thinks for a moment and then asks, "Can't you just warp us there?"

"No," I say, though i don't chastise him for it. How would he have known? "I can only do that when we're in the Twilight."

"Oh…" He says, frowning. "I guess we're walking then…"

At that instant, a sharp noise breaks out from the other side of the village. We both snap our heads in that direction to see a horse come madly dashing into the village, with two monsters riding on it back and clearly they are unable to control the animal. The horse quickly shakes the beasts of its back and starts galloping in our direction in a frenzy.

"Epona?!" the hero calls out, seeming to recognize the animal. The horse doesn't respond as it continues rushing towards him. Luckily, his reflexes kick in just in time and he leaps out of the way before the horse can run him over.

He dashes towards the horse and skillfully leaps onto its back, the animal still prancing around wildly. He somehow keeps his balance on the horse and pulls hard on its reigns, finally bringing it to a halt.

"Shh, Epona..." he whispers calmingly in the horse's ear and strokes her side and the horse instantly relaxes. "It's me. You're fine."

"Well how convenient!" I laugh as I slip out of his shadows and examine him sitting on the horse. I have to admit that he looks quite heroic, but I don't say that out loud. "You're not too shabby a wrangler after all!"

We both let out a simultaneous light laugh and somehow, it eases the tension that had been between us away. And for another, unexplainable reason, it leaves me with a good feeling on the inside. "All right," I say a moment later, still smiling. "That horse of yours should make getting back to your home town a lot easier huh?"

He returns my smile and nods. "I was wondering what happened to her," he says, still stroking the horse. "She was taken along with the kids. It's good to have her back."

"Well isn't that nice?" I shoot him a sly wink. "Now, go finish your errand so that we can get back and get that Fused Shadow! Get a move on!" I say somewhat jokingly as I return to his shadow.

Indeed, the horse makes getting back to Ordon Village a lot faster. We arrive there in almost no time at all and sure enough, the mayor holds the key to getting past the Gorons. He gives the hero the iron boots, with the assurance that even a Goron will not be able to move him if he's wearing them.

While he's in the village, he makes sure to tell the patents of the kids that they are safe and sound. Normally, I'd scold him for wasting time like this, but for some reason, I don't feel like I need to. I'm not sure how or why, but for some reason, it seems like we've reached a mutual agreement to not pick on each other anymore. An unspoken truce. I think it's like he said. We get more accomplished faster when we get along. And while I think we're still far from being friends, at least we aren't stopping every two seconds to argue.

We arrive back in Kakariko to find a disheartening sight. The town has been invaded by a group large monsters riding atop wild beasts and one of them is holding the blonde boy, Colin, over its head like a trophy. The second the hero sees this sight, he shouts out in anger at the beasts and chases after them on horseback as they flee the village through the other gate.

He trails the beasts back out onto the field and eventually catches up to the leader of the pack, the one that has Colin tied to a high pole, on a large stone bridge that covers a wide and deep chasm. I watch with sudden interest from the shadows at the events that occur next.

Two smaller monsters set flame to some old wood that's on either end of the bridge, blocking both our way and the leader's way off of it. "Well," I say from the shadows as the hero draws his sword. "I guess the only way to go on is to take this thing down. Good luck!" I can't help but give him a brief smile as I see his eyes suddenly flash with something that I really haven't seen in them before and that I can't really describe. My curiosity is peaked at whatever it is, as he races forward towards the monster, swinging his sword at it as he passes by it. He repeats the process two or three times, and eventually it causes the monster to fall off the back of its beast, plummeting into the endless pit below.

With the beast out of the way, the hero hurries over to where Colin, who is unconscious, lay and places the boy on the back of the horse, quickly returning him to Kakariko village without a word.

The other residents of the village and the rest of the children gather around the hero and Colin as they return, hoping to make sure that Colin is alright.

The boy wakes up a moment later, obviously weakened by the encounter. "Link…" he says to the hero the moment he opens his eyes. "Is everyone OK?" He glances around at the concerned faces of the other concerned children and sighs in relief. "Good. I… I think I finally understand…" Colin says, looking up at the hero once more. "I understand what my dad meant when he told me that I needed to be stronger, like you Link…" The hero gives him a soft smile and the boy lifts his arm up in the air weakly. "He wasn't talking about strength, like lifting stuff… He was talking about being brave…"

_Brave… _The word resonates in my mind. THAT'S what I say flashing in the hero's eyes. Bravery. Standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves. I think I may understand now too. It's because of that bravery, that courage, that the hero keeps going. Its why he doesn't give up, even when he's injured, and even when I ridicule him. And maybe, above all else, that's the exact reason that he is the _perfect_ hero to save both the realm of light and the Twilight Realm.


	11. The Mines

_Chapter 11: The Mines_

As the hero leaves the village he is met with well wishes for his dealings with the Gorons. He heads up the trail towards Death Mountain once more, but instead of being pushed off like the last time, he uses the iron boots he got from Ordon Village to toss the Goron off the ledge from before, clearing the path ahead. I have to say, I may be a bit impressed by this feat of strength. At least so far, he's been a pretty strong and competent fighter. And what he said before was right: the two of us do seem to get more done when we get along.

It's not hard to see why we argue so much in the first place though. The most concise reason is because we are both strong willed and independent. He doesn't like being ordered around by me just as much as I don't like having to rely on him. We clash because we both want to do our own thing, but unfortunately we're bound to each other. I need him to free the Twilight Realm and he needs me to help him keep those kids safe indirectly. One would think that ours would be a mutual partnership, but it's not.

If I had thought that I would be able to get the Fused Shadows and take on Zant on my own, I would have leaped at the chance in a heartbeat. But I know that I'm too weak on my own. I may be impulsive, but I'm not stupid. He must not be either, because he seems to finally accept the fact that he needs my help if he ever wants to free his world from Twilight. And if we can manage to get those last two Fused Shadows, then both of our goals will be accomplished.

He scales the mountain, taking each Goron in his way head on as he goes. As we near the summit, hot brimstone starts raining down from the smoke covered volcano, which we are careful to avoid. However, as we near the entrance to where the Gorons live, the rock storm becomes even more violent, until, without warning, a large, fiery slab of stone crashes down a few feet away from where the hero is standing.

We both move in closer to inspect the thing. "Whoa…" I say, staring up at the tall rock, heat emanating from it. "This thing looks pretty dangerous… Is this the traditional Death Mountain welcome?" I shoot him a quick wink and let out a light laugh, which he joins me on. For a moment or two we just stand there, looking at it, until an idea strikes me. "Hey…" I say, turning to face him. "You know, I have a strange feeling like this thing could be useful later on… Don't you think?"

"Hm…" He thinks for a minute, still looking at the rock. "Maybe. But where?"

"I don't know," I say shrugging. "But if a time comes that we'll ever need a giant, flaming rock, then we'll know where to find one, right?"

He give me an amused smile. "Right," he says as I retreat back into his shadow.

We hurry up the last leg of the path into the hall of the Gorons, tucked away inside the mountain. Of course, seeing a human in their midst makes the Gorons who are in there furious, and they prepare to gang up on him. I'm not sure why but this makes me nervous. I doubt he'd be able to take on all of those Gorons at once and they'd be able to sustain some pretty sizable damage.

"ENOUGH!" I voice calls out from among the angry grumblings of the Gorons. An elderly Goron steps into view, and he must be a leader among them, since the Gorons immediately calm, though the still glare at the hero. "Is this young one such an imposing enemy that you must all gang up on him?" the Goron elder reasons. "I think not little brothers. I am a Goron elder, little human," He speaks to the hero. "I am called Gor Coron."

The Goron elder commends the hero for his strength in getting to the top of the mountain. But, he says that he won't let the hero into the mines where the Fused Shadow must be because he is an outsider, unless the hero can beat the elder in a contest of power.

All of the Gorons are on baited breath and so am I as we all watch the hero and the elder wrestle to see if the hero is allowed access to the mines. It's a fight that's no doubt important to the Gorons, since they take their pride seriously and I can tell that they don't want to admit defeat to a human, but what's more important is that the hero must win if we are to get the next Fused Shadow.

I grin as I watch the hero use the iron boots to come out of the showdown as the victor, just like I expected him to. The elder congratulates him on his victory, and the hero listens closely to what the elderly Goron has to say concerning the dangers of the mines.

"Young warrior," the elder begins, catching his breath from the fight. "You have a strong will… and sharp eyes. Fine traits… Want to see how well you can use them? You have seen it no doubt… The mountain, erupting without pause… When the mountain began to rage like this, all four of us elders and Darbus, our patriarch, went inside to investigate its anger. We have a treasure that was entrusted to us by the spirits, and we must protect it. Do you understand?"

The hero nods and glances back towards me for a brief second. I give him a small chuckle of assurance. Of course, the elder is referring to the Fused Shadow and we both know it.

"But the moment Darbus reached out and touched it," the elder continues. "Everything went wrong. He collapsed and right before our very eyes transformed into an unspeakable monster!"

_That's not surprising… _I think, knowing what happens to beings of light who try to put their hands on the Fused Shadow. They can't handle its dark power, a power that has been passed down by my ancestors. It was because of the Fused Shadows that we were sent to the Twilight Realm in the first place. Its power was so great, that even the light spirits and the goddess feared it. And its power is strong enough to defeat Zant, I'm sure of it. It has to be.

"He began to rage through the mines, trailing ruin behind him…" the elder goes on. "And the eruptions grew more and more frequent and severe. We used all of our strength to seal him deep inside the mountain… It grieved us to go this to our patriarch, but we had no other course of action. I ask this of you, young warrior… Go to the aid of Darbus! Make no mistake; the spirits have guided you here. I, Gor Coron, need your help! On behalf of my entire clan, I ask of your aid!" The elder turns to two Gorons who are guarding a large entryway behind him. "You two!" He commands them. "Let the young warrior pass!"

After thanking the elder, the hero heads into the mines to search for the second piece of the Fused Shadow.

The Goron Mines are built in what seems to be the very heart of the volcano. Lava covers much of the area, but it's still passable via an array of metallic bridges. It's certainly not the safest place to look for a Fused Shadow, but it seems like we'll have to cross through its volcanic labyrinth if we ever hope to find it.

"Is this a mine or a volcano?" I scoff as I emerge from his shadow, looking at the somewhat worried look on his face. He knows the dangers of course. "You mean to tell me that the Gorons just come in and out of here as they please like it's no big deal? Well, I guess they would. But your just a measly human!"

"Hey!" He says defensively. I roll my eyes and smirk at him.

"Oh, you know what I mean," I say, implying that his flesh wouldn't last long in that molten lava. "If you fall in that lava that's the end of it, so be careful! You perishing in a place like this wouldn't be doing me any favors." I chuckle and wink as I slip back into his shadow once more

He simply nods in agreement as he beings investigating the central chamber of the mines. Somehow or another, he manages to work his way through several obstacles of the ruined mines and makes it to a room that looks similar to the Goron's hall. Standing in its center is a short, elderly Goron. He welcomes the hero and tells him that he is one of the four elders and gives him a key shard. He instructs the hero to collect all three key shards from the other elders to get into the room where the Goron patriarch is.

When we leave the room, I talk from his shadows, not wanting to hold him up while he searches. "So I guess we'll just have to look everywhere for the elders if we want to get that Fused Shadow, huh?"

"Yeah," Is all he says, his focus turned completely on the trials ahead. I don't want to say it out loud, but he does have some fierce determination about him that certainly helps to further my ends. Bravery, determination, strength. He's shaping up to be a good hero after all.

Eventually, after solving more traps and taking on more invading monsters, the hero makes his way to yet another one of the elders, who like the last one, gives him a piece of the key. Only one more elder to find and that Fused Shadow will be as good as ours.

Sometime later, we arrive in a large room with a platform dangling by chains high above a pit of lava. Standing on the platform, it a large, armored Goron. The Goron is for some reason enraged at the hero's presence and takes him on in battle. The Goron pound the platform, causing the chains holding it up to break and sending it plummeting below. Luckily, the platform floats on top of the lava, but it tilts with each movement someone makes.

"Looks like this guy's guarding something," I say to the hero from his shadow as the battle commences. "Sound like he's mistaken you for an intruder and I doubt he'll listen to reason. But be careful! This floor doesn't look too steady. Why don't you use those iron boots of yours to plant yourself firmly to the ground and then fight the Goron so you won't fall off?"

The hero grins as he unsheathes his sword. "Good idea," He says as he equips the heavy boots which lock him securely onto the magnetic floor. The hero uses his sword to stab at the Goron's thick skin, not hurting him of course, but simply stunning him. After this happens several times, the Goron starts barreling towards the hero, but the hero uses his strength to toss the massive Goron over the side of the platform and into the lava, which again doesn't hurt him too much. After repeating this process several times, the Goron cries for mercy and rises the platform up once more.

Realizing that the hero means no harm, the Goron decides to let him pass through to the next room, where he says a weapon used by an ancient hero awaits.

"Well, looks like you made out all right by coming here," I say as we enter the next room. "You get to keep some treasure of the ancient hero! We've come all this way so why not take it? It might even make you seem a bit more heroic!" I giggle and he merely rolls his eyes, used to my joking by now.

It turns out that the prize is indeed worth it: a bow and quiver. They prove useful too, during the hero's search for the final key shard, which, thanks to that new weapon, we find in the hands of the last Goron Elder with relative ease.

The hero hurries off to the room that the key should open, dismantling any puzzle in his path. When we make it to the final chamber, an orange glow emanates from the other side of the room. Suddenly, a loud growl erupts through the chamber and a large monster, chained to the wall and covered in flame, springs to life. Without question, this is the Goron patriarch, transformed into a fearsome beast by the power of the Fused Shadow.

"The fact that it could change a Goron into a beast like this proves that the power was forbidden for a reason…" I mutter under my breath as the hero engages it in battle. He knows to keep his distance from the monster, knowing that getting close to it could burn him to a crisp. But he must not know how to get a hit in, because he's only able to dodge its attacks and do little else.

"How do I attack it?" he calls out finally. I have been waiting for him to ask me that because while he was running around, trying to save his own skin, I have been observing the monster and looking for a weak point. And luckily for him, I've just found one.

"See those chains around its ankles?" I say, pointing to the chains that came loose when it sprang into action. "Try and pull on those to make it trip."

The hero rushes towards one of the loose chains and pulls on it hard, causing the thrashing beast to collapse to the ground. "Now try attacking that red crystal on its forehead!" I command, hoping that I'm right. Sure enough, I am though, because the beast recoils in pain each time the hero strikes it with his sword. After repeating this process enough times, the beast screams out in defeat and the curse on the Goron patriarch is broken.

Just as before, the Fused Shadow appears ominously. The hero looks at curiously as I take it. I grin at him. "Well done!" I giggle. "Now we have two Fused Shadows!" I think for a moment before continuing though. I debate whether or not I should tell him anything at all, but he has been doing well lately so I suppose he's earned the right to a bit more information. "You know, you've been very helpful so far, so as a reward, I think I'll tell you a little story…" My light expression darkens suddenly and he frowns as well. "Zant," I say, my voice full of contempt.

"What?" he asks confused.

"Zant," I repeat, my demeanor not changing. "That's the name of the king of darkness who cast this pall of shadows upon your world. He's very strong… You would be nothing to him in your current state…" I say honestly. "But Zant will never be my king!" I declare strongly. "I have nothing but scorn for his supposed strength… Not that your Zelda is much better…"

"Why do you dislike the princess so much?" he asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Why?" I ask, glaring at him. "Because it appalls me that this world of light is controlled by _that _princess! A carefree youth, a life of luxury… How does that teach duty?" I know for a fact that it doesn't. A true ruler is disciplined and hard working. They are entirely devoted to their kingdom, and will put their people before anything, even their own life. Zelda, of course, must not agree on these principles. "…But I guess I shouldn't begrudge the circumstances of her life…" I say when I notice the awkward look that the hero is giving me. He must not like me bad mouthing the princess for some reason. "She didn't choose it after all. And I would never wish harm on her…" It's true; even though Zelda is not the best ruler and I do not agree with her choices, I don't hate her. "No," I say as I put the Fused Shadow away. "As long as get my hands on the Fused Shadows, I'll be just fine… Well, just one more left… Shall we?" I wink at him and prepare to make a portal to get out of here, but he stops me first.

"Um, Mistress Midna?" he says. I turn to face him, and look curiously at his light smile. "Thanks for the help back there…"

I look at him for a minute or two and I think I finally realize something. He's loyal. As much as he argues with me, and as much as we bicker, he does what I tell him to and now, he's even acknowledging my help instead of trying to claim that he defeated the beast all on his own. A knot forms in my stomach as I realize just how virtuous he is. The very definition of a hero. Guilt doesn't even begin to describe what I feel.

"Hey," I say, returning his gentle smile. I can't do much at the moment to repay him for what he's done to help me, but I can at least make things a bit easier for him. "You don't have to call me that anymore. No more 'mistress' nonsense. Just Midna, OK?"

He laughs softly. "What's with the sudden change of heart?"

"I don't know…" I say pensively. "I guess… well…" I stammer. My mind can't find a good reason to tell him why. "Just because…" I say finally, and a bit sheepishly.

"Does that mean I'm not your servant anymore?" he asks jokingly.

I laugh. "Maybe…" I say. "But you'll still go get that last Fused Shadow, right?"

"Of course I will Midna," he says, still smiling.

I want to question him why, but I don't at the moment. I think I'll save that for later. No, at the moment, I have only one thing that I can think to say to him. I smile gratefully, realizing that perhaps, he's doing all of this out of the kindness of his heart. "Thank you… Link…"

**This chapter was brought to you by writer's block, no time and distractions! Yay! But seriously, I am SO sorry for this chapter taking so long! I have been super busy lately! So, sorry if this felt a bit rushed. I feel like Midna doesn't really play a HUGE rule in the dungeons unless you are constantly asking for her help and i also have a feeling that the next few chapters may seem a bit rushed too because i really want to get to the "Midna's Lament" part of the story as fast as i can because it is one of the BEST parts of Twilight Princess! But don't worry, I'll do my best! Until next time!**


	12. The Obstacles

_Chapter 12: The Obstacles_

We arrive back in the spirits' spring in Kakariko Village. As expected, the spirit gives Link a speech about traveling to the land north of the village, known as the Lanayru province. The spirit clams that if he goes there, he will find the one who he's been looking for. No doubt this is that older girl, Ilia I believe her name was.

No more than a moment later, the children and Renado come out from the sanctuary, and Colin runs over to Link, but still being weak from his traumatic experience earlier, the boy stumbles to the ground. Link rushes over and kneels down to check on him, but Colin gives the hero a look of determination.

"Ilia…" Colin says weakly. Link's eyes widen when he hears her name. "Link, you've got to save Ilia! Those monsters left me with the other kids, but they must have taken her somewhere else!"

"Don't worry Colin," Link smiles kindly. "I'll find her."

Colin smiles, reassured. "Whenever I thought I couldn't go on, I would think of you and Ilia and hold on…" The boy slowly rises to his feet and continues. "See? I… I'm fine now…" Seeing that Colin is feeling better, Link rises as well and smiles at the boy. "Remember what I told you back in Ordon, Link?" Colin continues. "About how I wanted to grow up to be just like you?" The hero nods as Colin finishes. "So you don't have to worry about me anymore Link! Go save Ilia!"

"Leave the children to me," Renado cuts in. "I will watch over them, I swear it. Don not let their fates trouble you. Go to those who need your help. In Hyrule, there are countless tales told of an ancient hero… and your brave deeds bring them all to mind. May the graces of the great goddess who shaped Hyrule bear you on your way…" And then, Renado and his daughter bow respectfully to Link, with the Ordonian children quickly following suit. I can't help but grin respectfully from the shadows, as I discover again that he's not only important to my means of saving the Twilight Realm, but that he is chosen by the gods of this land to save it. And so far, his task has been a successful one. After all, we are only one Fused Shadow away from saving both worlds.

After thanking Renado and bidding the children farewell, Link calls for his horse and rides out of the village. After we leave the village I call out from his shadow. "So, the person you're looking for is in the Lanayru Province, right? Good for you!" I chuckle and I can see the light smile on his face. "But remember, that land is covered in Twilight, so be careful! The Fused Shadow should be there too, so don't forget!"

"I won't!" Link calls out, reassuring me. Again I wonder why he said that he was going to look for the last Fused Shadow even after he frees the rest of the land from Twilight. Obviously, it's like I told him: to keep the world of light continually safe from Twilight, but I have a vague feeling that there's more to it than that, but I'm not sure what it could be. I've never known someone to go out of their way to do something unless it proved to be of some benefit to their own self. Yet nothing he's done so far has been for his own benefit. He didn't have to save those kids. He doesn't have to find that girl. In fact, he doesn't even have to get the last Fused Shadow. Sure, I would have scolded him if he had not agreed to find it, but there's not too much else I could have done if his mind had been set against it. But without a second thought, he said he would find it. And simply I can't figure out why. I know I should ask him, to clear my own mind, but I don't. At least not yet.

I'm lost in these thoughts as we travel north, towards the Twilight curtain hanging over Lanayru. It doesn't take us very long to get there either, with that horse and all. As we stand a few feet away from it, he dismounts his horse and walks towards it, still a bit uneasy.

I rise from his shadow, and already I can feel the Twilight almost calling me. I grin and turn to him. "Ah, we're finally here!" I say. "There's only one Fused Shadow left… So I guess this is the last of the Twilight you'll see…" I trail off with dramatic disappointment. "What a shame… I think this place looks pretty nice draped in shadows…"

"Midna…" Link sighs in exasperation, though a joking smile is drawn on his features.

"Well," I gave him a quick wink. "Whether or not you accomplish your final task and survive is up to you…" I laugh when I see him roll my eyes at how dramatic I'm being. "So, what will you do?"

"Let me in," he says boldly, bracing himself for the change. "I'm ready."

I simply grin as I nod and phase through the curtain back into the Twilight. Once more, I reach over and grab him, and like before, he turns back into a wolf. I plant myself on his back and for once, he's not surprised. By now, this has all become a routine thing for the both of us.

"All right then," I say, crossing my arms and grinning. "I guess I'll have to help you! But like I said, it's a shame that this is the last of the Twilight. I had grown so fond of seeing it in this world… Or…" A sudden thought hits me and I grin mysteriously. "Is this really the last you'll see of it?" I laugh when I see the confused look on his face. Of course the very last of the Twilight he'll see will most likely be the in the Twilight Realm itself, but I don't tell him that yet. "Shall we get going?" I urge him forward and he heads along the path.

No more than a few steps away from us is a purse-like object, lying on the ground. He smells it and his eyes flash with excitement. It's obvious what that means. "You smell the girl, don't you?" I say, looking down at him. "I can tell by the look on your face." He nods, confirming my suspicions. "Well good," I say. "It's another clue then. But this scent could be quite old… I wonder if she's still alright… Better follow it and see where it leads you…" I say as a sudden look of worry flashes in his eyes. Without hesitation, he rushes off, letting the scent of the girl be his guide.

Before too long, the ivory towers of Hyrule Castle come into plain view, signifying that we have traveled full circle. "Hey, haven't we seen this castle before?" I point out to him and laugh. "So, we finally made it back here! Well then, we've only got a little farther to go, so hang in there!" But then I realize that by now, Zant must have some level of knowledge about what's going on. The level of danger must be increasing now, especially since there's only one Fused Shadow left. Suddenly, I begin to worry about whether or not Zant has been watching us this whole time, and whether or not he has been plotting all the while… "Or, I'd like to say that, but…" I start, a sudden urgency creeping into my tone. "The going's going to be a lot harder from here on out…" I give Link an ambiguous warning, just so he'll keep his guard up. I quickly lighten my tone once again however by laughing. "All right then… Let's get started."

The scent leads us to the town surrounding the castle, which is full of the spirits of light dwellers. Unaware of their spirit forms, the carry on their everyday lives, and gossiping is no exception. As we traverse the town we pick up on several interesting bits of information, such as the fact that the water level in the lake to the east of the town, Lake Hylia has receded and even more pertinent to our situation is that because of this fact, access to the light spirit's cave is near impossible. Something will have to be done about that if we ever want to restore light to this area. _Great… _I think in exasperation as we go on. _More errands… _

Eventually, we make our way into one of the town's back alleys, where a small bar is located. Luckily for us the door is cracked open, so we just squeeze on in. Inside, are a large, middle aged woman with tied up red hair and the girl. I know because Link's eyes flash with recognition when he sees her. The girl, Ilia, has short, light blonde hair, Ordonian clothing and the bright green eyes. Both she and the older woman are tending to an unconscious child of the Zora tribe, who looks barely alive.

"This boy… He's still so young and innocent…" the girl says, her voice full of concern. "Can you save him?!"

"All right little lady, try to settle down, OK?!" The older woman says consolingly. "I just now sent for the doctor. But this is strange…" she says thoughtfully. "A child of the Zoras… I wonder if this is at all related to the incident those soldiers were talking about in the back… There sure has been a rash of trouble lately…"

The two of them return their full attention to the injured Zora and I notice the curious look that Link is giving the girl. He must have forgotten that she can't see him. "Aw," I sigh dramatically, breaking the silence in the room. "What an emotional reunion! Yes, a girl and her wolf!" I laugh when he flashes me a warning glare, trying to tell me that now is not the time. "Sorry," I say, still grinning. "But I couldn't resist. And you know how it goes! These folks can't see you either..."He nods in realization as he heads to the back room of the bar, where a group of soldiers are gathered around a table, discussing something.

"We've had a ton of complaints from citizens who can't send prayers to spirit at the spring at Lake Hylia," the leader of the group says. "Go there! The location is the one I showed you on the map earlier!" He points to a map lying on the low table. "Study it and know it well!"

We both steal a glance at the map along with the soldiers. A red dot on the map continently marks the location of Lake Hylia, which is exactly where we need to go. After committing the spot to memory, we set out from the town and head in that direction.

After some traveling, we make it to a large stone bridge that is covering a huge chasm. We start making our way across it, but as we're doing so, I notice something strange. Or rather, _smell _something strange. "Hey…" I say, a bit uneasily. His tail twitches and I can tell that he's noticing it too. "Do you smell anything… funny?" Just then, we both see a monster with a bow standing on the far side of the bridge and another one on the other end. Both of them have their bows stringed with arrows that have been set ablaze and they simultaneously fire them on at the ground near their feet. The fire quickly envelops the bridge as we realize that it's covered in flammable fuel. "Oh no!" I exclaim as the fire quickly approaches us. "We're trapped! Get out of here!" Link thinks quickly and pushes a small crate to the right side of the bridge. He climbs up on it and onto the side of the bridge and looks down into the deep chasm below us. My stomach sinks as I realize what he's thinking. "Oh no!" I warn him sharply. "You're crazy! We are NOT doing this!" He ignores me, even as I tug on the fur on the back of his neck to try and get him to stop. "Link!" I shout viscously. "STOP!" Again he doesn't listen as he leaps off of the bridge into the open air below us. I can't help but scream in terror and hold onto him for dear life as we plummet down what must be several hundred feet. He howls out too, hopefully realizing that his plan was a foolish one. There's no way we'll survive a fall like this. This leap was suicide.

I close my eyes and brace myself for the oncoming impact with the ground, but instead of being crushed like I expected, we land in deep water. The impact from falling from so high stings a bit, but we made it nonetheless. My eyes are still wide with shock as I realize that we must be in Lake Hylia. "You…" I pant out shakily. "You're… you're insane…!" I look down at him and I can see amusement in his eyes as he swims towards the shore. Sudden anger fills me and I strike him on the back of the head for it. "What's the matter with you?! That fall could have killed us!" Its then that I finally realize that it really only would have killed him, since I can levitate, but at the moment, I had been so terrified that I hadn't even thought of that. "We will never mention this ever again. EVER!" I proclaim loudly, making sure he'll fully understand me.

"Well," I say, finally calming down. "Luckily for us there was this puddle below, huh?" We both take a look around at the area. "So this is Lake Hylia… But there's so little water… The spirit's spring should be somewhere around here though, so let's take a look around."

Standing on the nearby bank of the remains of the lake is a group of Zoras who are investigating the dilapidated state of the lake. We listen in on their worried conversation, and their theories that something must have occurred at the lake's source, Zora's Domain, the home of the Zoras. "Looks like we'll have to head over there eventually too…" I sigh as we head towards a small shack nearby. "Will we ever meet this elusive light spirit?"

We encounter a disgruntled shopkeeper standing near the shack, who's complaining about his lack of costumers. Suddenly, he cries out in fear when he spots a shadow Bokoblin lurking on the far side of the area. Link rushes over to it, but when the creature catches sight of him, it uses a piece of grass to summon a large shadow bird. The Bokoblin leaps onto the bird's back and they both begin to attack us.

"Another pest!" I hiss as Link narrowly dodges one of the bird's dives. "I guess he felt like he needed to call a friend! When it comes close, jump on it and try to bring it down!" He does so and gets in a few swipes at the bird and soon enough, the Bokoblin falls from the bird and onto the ground. He quickly dispatches the creature with ease and as he's doing so, I notice something we can take advantage of while looking at the shadow bird, which is still flapping frantically around nearby.

After the creature is defeated, I leap off Link's back and glide towards the bird. I plant myself firmly on the thrashing creature's back and dig my fingers into his skin, trying to force it to calm down. "Hey! Stop it!" I shout out, trying to hold on. "I'm your new master now! Settle down!" After a second or two the bird complies, and I flash Link a wide grin. "Hey!" I call out to him as he looks up at me from the ground. "Why don't we use this guy to get all the way to the lake's water source?" I steal a glance at a wide gap close to us that's up high. It looks like it was once the place where water flowed to the lake, but it's dry as a bone now. Link nods in agreement with my plan and I command the bird to take the wolf into its talons and fly off towards it as fast as its wings can carry it. I laugh wickedly when I see the look of surprise on Link's face as the bird suddenly swoops in on him and grabs him. "Consider this payback for jumping off that bridge!" I call out as we head towards the gap.

I guide the shadow bird through the dried out river bed with careful precision. I make sure to avoid the falling rocks that constantly come from above us. Taking the riverbed is a helpful shortcut, because we make it to our destination in record time.

I command the bird to drop Link abruptly onto the ground, which is covered with snow for some reason. I leap off the bird and it flies away as I return to my spot on Link's back. "Well, what do you know?" I ask casually as we glance around the area. "We're already here! That bird turned out to be more useful than expected. Well then… where's the village of the Zoras? We should hurry and find it. It's getting cold… Let's go!"

We follow the snow covered river bank until we get to what I think in Zora's Domain, but I'm not entirely sure since the place is basically a towering frozen waterfall. "Oh hey…" I say as the air gets even colder. "What happened here? I thought it was getting colder, but who would have thought that it would all be frozen! This is the Zora village, right? Why don't I see any then? Well… I guess we should we check things out, huh? Let's find the Zora's…" I sigh tiredly, knowing that yet another obstacle impedes our path. "What have we gotten ourselves into…?" I mutter under my breath as we head up towards the top of the frozen waterfall.

I help guide him along as we climb up the face of the icy waterfall; unsure of what we'll find when we make it to the top. When we make it up there, the air seems to be even colder than before, if that's even possible. _It must be nice to have a thick fur coat like that_, I think a bit jealously as I look down at Link, who seems unphased by the freezing conditions.

We head inside a cave-like area, which is actually the main hall of the Zora village. Almost immediately after arrive inside the hall, three shadow spikes rain down once more, followed by three shadow beasts from a portal that we can see through a wide gap in the rock ceiling above us. With ease, Link eliminates the shadow beasts with the help of an energy field provided by me and a new portal opens up.

"How lucky!" I say as I gaze up at the portal. "We can finally warp! If you want to breathe the air of the world of light for a moment, just let me know. I'll take you there!" I offer cordially. However, as I glance down at him I notice something about the ice underneath us. "Whoa! Hey!" I point down to the ice. "Down! Look below the ice!" We both can see from above us the frozen forms of several Zoras stuck underneath the ice. "Those… those are the Zoras!" I exclaim in shock. "Wow… this is really strange… What in the world happened? So, what do you want to do?" I ask him as I look down at the petrified Zoras once more. "We can't just leave them like this… I think all we need to do is thaw them out, but how?" I sigh as no idea comes to me. "It doesn't do us any good to just stand here thinking… Why don't we leave and come back later? The portal should work for us. Why don't we try to find a way to melt the ice out there and then come back here?" Almost the second I say that, Link's eyes seem to flash, as though he has an idea. He nods to me, signifying that we should use the portal. "Where to?" I ask him and I go through the list of places that I remember there being open portals. When I get to Death Mountain, he nods vigorously. "Um, OK…" I say, not sure where he's going with this, but I warp him there anyway.

We arrive back at Death Mountain and I think I finally see what his plan is. He walks over to the giant slab of rock that fell from the volcano when we were here before. I can still feel its warmth emanating as I hide in his shadow. Of course! Why didn't I think of this? "Oh I get it!" I beam at him as I rise from his shadows. "This thing has been here for a while now, but it's still pretty hot… Is this what you wanted to use to try and melt the ice?" He nods again and I prepare to warp the thing. It takes some physical effort as well as a little magic, but I manage to magically lift the slab off the ground and send it through the portal, with us following close behind it.

I position the rock carefully above the opening to the Zora's hall and then, all at once, I let it fall. The heat, force, and size of the rock instantly shatters the ice upon contact and water busts through the mouth of the waterfall. Zora's River has been restored.

We stand off to the side, on the dry ground that surrounds the water of the hall and watch as the Zoras weakly emerge from the water, shivering from the cold. "Hm," I grin down at Link, finally letting the fact that I'm pleased with him show. He's been full of good ideas lately: from that jump off the bridge, though it was a bit of a haphazard and now using that rock to melt the ice. He managed to overcome both of these obstacles and more. Its almost like he's unstoppable. "Not bad! That was a pretty clever plan if I do say so myself. Now come on! Let's get going to the spirit's spring!"

**Ok, so sorry that this chapter was so long, but there was so much i had to fit into it! By the way, I've been meaning to say this for a while now, but thanks to everyone for the super nice reviews! You guys are the greatest and your reviews motivate me to work on this story! So anyway, until next time!**


	13. The Vision

_Chapter 13: The Vision_

As we attempt to leave the Zora hall, a strange voice calls out from nowhere. "Wait!" We both look back and see a strange sight: an adult female Zora who appears to be of a high rank among them appears, floating high above the throne at the opposite end of the room. She appears to be a spirit, but not like the kind of spirit that light beings are in the Twilight. She seems to be a spirit of the dead, which must be the case since she can see us.

"Please…" she says in a somewhat morose voice. "You must allow me to thank you for revitalizing both my people and this spring, which is the source of water for all the lands of Hyrule. In life, I was the elder of this Zora village and the queen of my people. I was called Rutela."

Link walks towards her and I give a casual yawn as I admit: "Not to be rude, but we didn't exactly do it for you guys…" It's the truth. The reason we unfroze everything was so we could get to the spirit's spring. It wasn't really to help the Zoras at all.

"The dark ones…" Rutela goes on. "They raided this village and… as a message to my people, executed me before them." _So I was right, _I think as she explains the situation. _She is a ghost! _"Young man…" she addresses Link. "You who takes the form of a proud beast… I have something to ask of you." _Oh boy… _I think rolling my eyes in distain. _Yet another errand… _By now, it seems like we've gotten so off task that I'd be surprised if he can even remember our original task of finding the Fused Shadow. I can barely remember myself.

"When the dark ones descended onto our village," the Zora queen says. "I sent my young son, Ralis, to Hyrule Castle to inform Princess Zelda of our plight." _Not that she would have done anything anyway… _I think sarcastically, knowing that Zelda probably wouldn't have. "But… I fear danger followed him from this doomed place. I feel it. His presence grows fainter to me over time… But my time in this world has passed, and though I would give it gladly, I no longer have a life to risk in his rescue. Please…" she pleads. "Would you save my dearest, Prince Ralis? If you would do this thing, I will bestow upon you the protection of water. This power will grant you the ability to swim and respire in deep water as if you were a Zora. Please… save my son…" She says as she vanishes away.

I grin down at Link, knowing that the ability to swim like a Zora could prove useful later on. "Hm, so if we help her, she'll grant you the power to swim in deep water like a Zora, huh?" I ask. "So… what do you say… _Hero_?" I emphasize on the word hero, almost saying that he's been put into the role of everyone's little errand boy, but I don't. Maybe before I would have, but is there really any need for such burning remarks at the moment? "Oh, but now that I think about it, I don't suppose you should meet the prince as a wolf, huh?" I laugh, trying to get him back on track with our original goal. "So… no hurry to return you to the world of light then, right?"

I can tell he's exasperated with me by the look on his face, but I chuckle nonetheless. "Looks like the shock of the impact of that rock not only raised the water level but sped up the flow too…" I say, looking ahead at the rushing water. "This water should flow all the way down to the lake. Why don't you just lay back and let it take you there?"

He agrees with my idea and plunges into the water, though it's a bit frigid from being frozen. The swift current carries him down the waterfall and out of Zora's Domain. I hold on tightly to him as we enter the rushing rapids of the main part of the river, where the bird had carried us through before.

The water's flow is rough and unruly and at one point it throws us both into the side of a rock spire jutting out from the water. I draw my leg back in pain as we smack into it and the Fused Shadow on my head collides with it. A small headache develops as I hold onto the dark relic with one hand and onto Link with another. As we finally pass by the spire, I notice that he got the brunt of it, as the collision with the rock has knocked him out cold. He starts to float limply in the water as it carries him down towards Lake Hylia. I rise off of his back and float above him to avoid falling full into the water as the river finally lets us out at the lake, which is already filling up with water once more.

The force of the water pushes us even further, almost across the lake entirely, until we are stopped on the far end of the lake, on dry ground. Link's still out of it as I read a nearby sign that marks the entrance to the spirit's spring. We couldn't have gotten luckier to be washed up here. The spirit's spring is a mere few feet away.

I look down at Link with slight concern, but I know he'll be fine. And of course he is when he begins to stir a few seconds later. "Ugh…" I sigh, feigning exasperation. "Aren't you awake yet?" I grin at him as he opens his eyes. "Look!" I point to the entrance of the spirit's spring as he rises to his feet. "We got washed all the way down to Lake Hylia, just as I predicted!" I proclaim proudly as I reclaim my spot on his back once more. "And it looks like we're right in front of the spirit's spring to boot. Talk about lucky… Well, let's go! Snap out of it and get to the spirit!"

We enter the spirit's spring, which is enclosed in a cave unlike the others. The remains of the spirit of Lanayru dangles over the water, and its speaks in a weak voice. "_I am… the last of the spirits of light…consumed… by Twilight" _the spirit says. "_Hero… chosen one of the gods… You have done well… to make it… this far… Gather… my sacred Tears of Light… that were stolen by shadow… Gather them in this…" _Once more, as expected, the spirit bestows a Vessel of Light to hold the scattered tears. _"Collect… my light…" _the spirit's weak voice wavers. "_Lift the final cloud of Twilight… that threatens to cover… all of Hyrule…" _

"Great…" I say as we leave the spirit's spring to start our search. "Same song, third verse huh? But I have a feeling that this is going to take a while. The Lanayru Province is vast from what we've seen so far. Finding those dark bugs will be a task in itself… But who says we have to go it all on foot huh?" I laugh ambiguously, hoping that he'll take the hint of using portals to his advantage.

We traverse the lake area for a bit and find four shadow insects in the immediate area. After gathering the four of them, we find ourselves back at the place where we first came across the shadow bird from earlier. I notice a patch of grass growing nearby and remember that that's how that Bokoblin summoned that bird here in the first place. And if that monster can do that, then why can't we do the exact same thing to get the bird to take us back up to Zora's Domain?

"Hey!" I say pointing to the grass. "If you play that grass over there, that monster bird should come back, right?" Its then that I realize the flaw in my otherwise brilliant idea though; how is he going to play that grass without any hands? "Or…" I say, trying to recover from how foolish I must have just sounded by saying that. "Since you can't play it yourself, you could always just sit there and maybe howl the same song…" I say and then smile with satisfaction as he takes my advice. As I thought, the bird arrives in its exact same spot and I leap onto its back, commanding it to swoop down and pick up Link before we head through the riverbed.

It was a good idea to use the bird, since four shadow insects lie in wait within the riverbed. Once we get to the upper river, we find one more and then after that, we encounter two Zoras who plan on using a waterway that apparently connects to Hyrule Castle Town to search for the Zora prince. We decide on following them, seeing as there must be a few shadow insects there. The waterway takes us back out to the field near the castle and we enter the town, where we locate one more shadow insect.

I urge Link to warp to Zora's Domain to save us some time and he agrees. When we arrive there, we find that the Zoras are starting to recover from their frozen state, but they are mournful over their lost queen. After maneuvering the terrain for a while, we find a five shadow insects in all, but there's still one left unfound.

"Hey…" I say, realizing that we've checked just about everywhere for it. "What's going on? There should be one more, but where could it be?" I think for a moment or two until I relay to him the only idea I have at the moment. "Why don't we go back to Lake Hylia and look for clues?"

We warp back to the lake and immediately, I feel like something is wrong. I warn him to keep his guard up as we travel around the banks of the river, when suddenly a huge spark ripples through the water nearby. It looks like a massive shadow insect as it circles around and around on the surface of the water, then all at once it goes deep within its depths. We head over towards it, hoping to collect that last tear of light, but when we venture out onto one of the pieces of driftwood floating on the water, a giant insect-like beast emerges from the water.

"What… What IS that creepy thing?" I say, looking with disgust at the revolting creature as it barrels towards us. "I've never seen anything like it! Do something about it and fast! It's disgusting!"

Link dodges the monster's attack and then leaps onto it, tearing into it with his claws fiercely. After doing this three times as the beast comes in close, it goes belly-up floating in the water. I suggest jumping on the thing while it's stunned in the water and attacking its stomach, which proves to be successful. To quicken the process of beating it, I use an energy field so that we can take out all of its tentacle-like structures on its stomach. With those out of the way, the insect explodes, leaving the final tear of light in its place.

We gather the final tear and are instantly transported back to the spirit's spring. Light fills the area and I slip into the natural shadows, but I watch as he changes back into a human once more. "Alright," I say, floating in front of him, trying to get a word in edgewise before the spirit shows up. "Your world of light is saved. Now don't forget that Fused Shadow!" I'm about to slip back into his shadow until I realize the smart smirk on his face. "What?" I ask, unsure of why he's smiling smugly.

"You know…" he says vaguely, still smirking. It almost looks like he wants to laugh, but he's barely managing to restrain himself.

"No," I say, somewhat defensively. "What?"

"Remember?" He asks, chuckling lightly. He then tries to mimic me with a high pitched tone, much to my annoyance. "'Oh Link! Please don't jump from this bridge! I'm so scared!'" He breaks down into uncontrollable laughter as I stand there, smoldering in anger.

"I thought I told you to NEVER speak of that again!" I hiss, trying to hide my embarrassment. "Besides, I didn't say that! And I wasn't that afraid…" I mutter, crossing my arms in aggravation.

After laughing for a minute or two longer, he finally calms down enough to speak coherently. "Sorry Midna…" he says genuinely, though he's still smiling. "But don't you think I deserve a little fun at your expense for a change? Especially considering how much you like to pick on me…"

I'm about to tear into him and scream at the top of my lungs at him, but I restrain myself. I don't know why or how, but I see some sense in what he's saying. I should have figured that he wasn't going to take my previous abuse lying down. That jump was an act of revenge. He knew the whole time that we were going to make it; he just wanted to get back at me. I glare at him sharply for a moment or two before finally shrugging my shoulders. "Fine," I say nonchalantly. "If it makes you feel better, then I'm glad I could help…" I grin smugly when I see confusion replace the smile on his face. I let out a light laugh as I return to his shadow, calling out, "See you later!"

He has no time to react to what I said since the light spirit rises from the spring no more than a second later. I shield myself from the brilliance of its light once again, happy that this is the last time we'll have to consult one of these things.

"_My name is Lanayru," _the recovered light spirit introduces itself. _"Your efforts have at last restored each of us light spirits in Hyrule. O hero chosen by the gods… The dark power that you seek… It waits in a temple set in the bed of Lake Hylia…"_

_In the bed of Lake Hylia? How on earth are we going to get down there to get the Fused Shadow? _I think, seeing as how foolish a place that is to hide a piece of the Fused Shadow. Then again, I guess the light spirits never intended for it to be easy to find. And its then that I remember the Zora queen's promise: that if we find her missing son, she'd give Link the ability to swim through the water like a Zora. I smile, realizing that things are for once, coming together nicely.

"…_But before seeking it…" _the spirit goes on, much to my dismay. _What nonsensical side-quest are we about to be sent on this time? _ I think, hoping that we'll get to the temple sometime today. "_You must now bear witness to something… and never forget it… You must know that it was the will of the goddesses that we lock away the forbidden power…"_

Of course, I already know the full history of the Fused Shadows and why they were locked away. But the spirit must intend to tell Link about it, which means we're going to be here for while. So I decide to get comfortable within his shadows and listen as well. After all, it is a pretty interesting tale.

"_When all was chaos, the goddess descended and gave order and life to the world," _the spirit starts from the very beginning. _"They granted power equally to all who dwelt in the light, and then returned to the heavens. The land where the goddesses descended came to be known as the Sacred Realm. For ages, the people lived at ease, content in mind and body…"_

I steal a glance up at Link's face and suddenly, I notice that something's wrong. His blue eyes are distant and cold, as if he's not really there. His place skin is even paler than before and his mouth is hanging agape. He doesn't look well at all. "Link…" I dare to whisper from his shadows, hoping to catch his attention. He doesn't even flinch at the sound of his name. "Link!" I say a little louder. Still no response. "Link!" I say plainly but he does not move. Suddenly, worry fills me. Why can't he hear me? What's going on? It's like he's in some sort of trance.

Either the spirit was the one who brought about Link's strange condition, or it doesn't seem to notice it, because it goes on with its story. "_But soon, word of the Sacred Realm spread through Hyrule, and a great battle ensured..." _

As Lanayru says this, a look of sudden anger flashes on Link's face, much to my curiosity. What is he seeing that I can't see? My concern builds with each passing second as the spirit goes on. I'm almost tempted to scream out to it to stop so that I can find out what's wrong with Link, but I don't. "_Among those living in the light, interlopers who excelled at magic appeared," _the light spirit says. I know well that it's referring to my ancestors, the very ones who created the Fused Shadow and who were banished to the Twilight Realm because of it. "_Wielding powerful sorcery, the tried to establish dominion over the Sacred Realm." _

At that moment, Link recoils and gasps out in pain. "Link!" I cry out, thankful that the spirit pays me no mind. Most likely, the spirit is the one causing whatever's going on with him to happen, but I'm concerned nonetheless. I don't know why I should be though, especially after he admitted his reason behind that stunt on the bridge.

I study his face carefully and notice several shifting emotions. He goes from a look of pain, to a cruel smile to a look of worry and fear. That fear must be reflecting on my own face too though, as I try to make sense of what's going on.

"_It was then that the goddess ordered us three light spirits to intervene," _the spirit says, referring to our banishment to the Twilight Realm. _"We sealed away the great magic those individuals had mastered." _

Suddenly, Link lets loose a powerful scream that echoes through the cave. "Link!" I shout out in fear, almost rising from his shadows to look him in the blank eyes. "Snap out of it!" Whatever's happening, it seems to be causing him some kind of mental or physical stress that I can't see. Hopefully, he'll tell me all about it when he regains his senses. And he better, or else I'll make him. This is taxing on me as well.

"_You know this magic…" _The spirit says, and I see a tired, blank look on Link's face, mingled with confusion. Maybe, he's finally coming out of whatever this is. _"It's the dark power you seek… the Fused Shadows… Oh hero chosen by the goddesses… beware… Those who do not know the danger of wielding power will, before long, be ruled by it… Never forget that…"_

Suddenly, Link starts laughing quietly like's he lost his mind. And it wouldn't surprise me if this ordeal has caused him to. I bite my lip, almost at my breaking point of worry, hoping that the spirit's tale is just about over and that Link will return to normal.

Suddenly, his eyes widen and slight focus returns to them as he gasps out, seeming to awaken from the trance that the spirit put him under. His legs weaken and he falls to his knees tiredly. I'm tempted to call out his name, but before I can do so, I'm interrupted by the spirit, who I hadn't even noticed, retreated back into its spring. "_The dark power that you seek is sleeping within the Lakebed Temple in Lake Hylia…" _It finishes, as though nothing happened at all.

I look, wide-eyed at Link, who is still on his knees breathing heavily. "Hey…" I say a bit shakily as I cautiously rise from his shadow. "C-can you hear me?"

He raises his lowered head and his wide blue eyes meet mine as he simply nods. He's back in the same wavelength as me, but just barely. I think he's too overcome by whatever he just saw to actually form words.

"A-are you… Ok?" I ask a moment or two later.

I wait patiently for his response, which comes after another moment or two of his deep breathing. "Yes…" he says quietly.

Questions fill my mind and they all want to surface at once but I don't let them. I don't think he'd be ready to answer any of them at the moment. Whatever he saw, it must have deeply disturbed him.

We both sit there in silence for a while; he's trying to recover from his experience and I'm just trying to get over my worries about him. It's strange that I feel so concerned for him, but I decide not to question it just this once. Hopefully, he'd be just as concerned if our roles were reversed.

"D-do you want to talk about it?" I ask as I watch him weakly rise to his feet.

He shakes his head as he stares down at his feet. "No," He says firmly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" I ask, trying not to sound overly concerned.

"Yes," he says, turning away from me. Obviously he's not fine, but I let it pass. I tried to help him; it's his problem to deal with now.

"Ok then…" I say, trying to get things back on track. "To get your hands on the Last Fused Shadow, you'll have to find a way to get to the bottom of Lake Hylia. So why don't we try finding the Zora prince just as the Zora queen asked? Then maybe she'll give us that 'special ability' like she was talking about!"

He simply nods absentmindedly as he walks out of the spirit's cave. I slip into his shadow and glance up at his face once more. His brow is creased in deep thought; perhaps he's reflecting on what just happened. I'd love to know what actually did happen, but he won't tell me, much to my disappointment. I'm tempted to demand him to tell me, but I'm not going to. No, instead I relax in his shadow and let it go. I think he's had enough hardships for one day. I think we both have.

**Ok, so we all know that freaky cutscene that's described in this chapter. its basically lanayru telling link about the interloper war but with 'visual aids', or just a vision, or as i like to refer to it: getting link straight up high because that freaky thing could only be the result of a drug trip... :D So anyway, i basically tried to describe what could be going through Midna's mind as this is going on so yeah. sorry about this chapter being pretty empty aside from that! Good news though. In just two chapters, I plan on getting to the "Midna's lament" portion of the game and i can't wait! :D Until next time!**


	14. The Girl

_Chapter 14: The Girl_

We leave the lake area in silence. I can tell that he's still bothered by whatever happened in the spirit's spring, but I still don't pressure him to talk about it. Besides, I'm too wrapped up in my own thoughts at the moment to even form a single question even if he would answer it.

I don't know why I got so worked up in the first place. I should have known that he was going to come out of it fine; after all, he's always fine. Yet there was something about seeing him in such a shaken state of mind that shook me as well. Before that, I had seemed to forget that he was not invincible, physically or mentally. But now I clearly see that he isn't; he is human after all. And for some reason, the fact doesn't bother me as much as it should. I mean, an invincible hero would be a good thing, no question, but somehow, something tells me that it is a person's weaknesses that make them stronger. Or at least in his case. My weaknesses don't seem to contribute much to anything at all. Once again, I bemoan my unfortunate shape, which of course makes me too weak to do much. The only asset that I personally seem to have is my powers, which are only at a fraction of their normal power. For once, I finally admit to myself that perhaps it's a very good thing that I have Link to help me. Who knows what would become of the Twilight Realm if I didn't?

I glance up at Link as he rides his horse through Hyrule Field. I'm not entirely sure where he's going, but I can see a look of slight exhaustion, but at the same fierce determination in his eyes. Once again, I'm confused as to why, but I let it go as I see that we're heading the general direction of Castle Town.

We enter Castle Town, which is loud and busy with activity. His pace is quick as he pushes though the clusters of people and heads for the south end of town. I get an idea of where he wants to go when we head towards the bar where we saw the girl earlier. Of course. I should have guessed that this would be the first place that he'd go to.

He enters the bar, where the girl and the older woman are still tending to the injured Zora child, but this time there is also an elderly doctor present as well. The second Link steps in, the doctor is on his way out, shouting angrily. "That is a Zora child!" He proclaims without compassion for the child's condition. "That is beyond my expertise!" He stomps out, slamming the door behind him.

The girl hurries towards the door and pleas with the doctor to stay, but with no avail. "Doctor wait!" She says as she runs towards the door. "If something isn't done, this child will…" She trails off in disappointment, knowing that the doctor is long gone. She starts to head back towards the injured child, but not before glancing at Link, who is staring at her in both relief and wonder. I watch the interaction from the shadows and somehow, I see no recognition in the girl's eyes. Link must notice it too because as she continues back towards the Zora child, he takes a few steps after and whispers her name softly and sadly. "Ilia...?" he says, but she doesn't hear him.

"Well this isn't good," The older woman says as Ilia takes her seat beside Zora child's side once more. "A human doctor won't do, huh?" Both of them look down at the child and from our place at the far side of the room near the door, Link and I steal a glance at him as well. Suddenly, I'm reminded of the Zora queen and what she said about her son that she sent to Hyrule Castle. Perhaps he was injured along the way and is this very same unconscious Zora child. He looks like he could be royalty: though he looks quite young, he wears golden neck decorations and earrings befitting of someone who has a position of importance among the Zoras. And if it is the Zora prince, that that would certainly make things easier for us. If he is, then we won't have to run all over Hyrule searching for him since he's right here.

"That old coot reminded me though…" The older woman says thoughtfully. "I've heard of a shaman in Kakariko Village, in the Eldin Lands, who's tended Gorons and Zoras…" She smiles down at Ilia, who immediately gets excited at the prospect.

"Is that true?" She says as she stands up, her voice hopeful. "Perhaps if we take him there…"

"Inadvisable! Too dangerous!" calls out one of the several soldiers who had been sitting in the back room of the bar earlier. They are all gathered together now, having overheard the conversation. "But we can't turn a blind eye to a pretty girl in need, either. We'll escort you! Right boys?!" The rest of the solders in the company raise their spears above their heads and shout out in excitement.

"Well isn't that nice?" the older woman says to Ilia as the soldiers are still celebrating. "Now, to reach Kakariko, we've got to cross two plains that are each infested by dangerous beasts."

The minute that she's says the word beasts, the solders instantly cease their shouts of excitement. They glance at each other nervously then, as fast and as quiet as they can, they rush out of the bar, pushing their way past Link on their way out.

"But we'll be safe now!" The woman says as the men are retreating. When the two of them turn to look back in the direction of the soldiers, only one remains, but he too, like the others, runs out, scared at the prospect of monsters.

"Cowards!" the woman shouts out angrily after them as she turns towards the door. "Don't EVER show your faces here again!" Just then, she catches sight of Link, who's still standing near the door and staring intently at Ilia, who has yet to acknowledge his presence. "Oh my!" the woman exclaims, smiling at Link. "Looks like we've got one young swordsman left!" I can tell by the look on his face that he most likely barely heard a word that she said, as his eyes are still trained on the girl, as if he's silently pleading with her to speak to him. "And not only that, but it looks like this brave young man will escort us, so get ready to go honey. Pronto!"

Ilia nods and runs off to go get ready, with Link watching her every move. The older woman walks over to him. "You know that girl, don't you?" she asks him quietly. Link simply nods, sadness in his eyes. "It's a real shame… She can't even remember her own name right now…"

I watch as the realization sets in for him. Somehow, the girl must have lost her memory after she was captured. That can't be an easy thing for Link though, for her to not even remember him. Especially after he's gone through so much to find her.

"Bless her heart…" the woman says sadly. "She found that poor boy collapsed by the side of the road, so she did all she could to save him. More courage in that girl than in all the soldiers in Hyrule, for sure!" She looks over Link for a second before continuing. "You lend your strength to her, you hear me?" She says with sincerity.

"I will…" Link says solemnly. "I promise."

The woman smiles warmly at him as Ilia returns, ready to go. The woman instructs Link to go on ahead to the bridge that crosses Lake Hylia where they'll meet him after they finish preparing. And so, we leave town and head in the direction of the bridge.

Once we're out of town, I rise out of his shadow and glide along beside him as he rides towards the bridge. I give him a knowing smile and when he sees it, he sighs in exasperation.

"If you're going to yell at me for escorting them don't bother," he says adamantly. "I'm not in the mood."

"Oh don't worry," I say coolly. "I won't. I think that that Zora child could possibly be the missing prince that the queen asked us to look for and if that's the case, well, this only furthers our goal in getting to that temple."

"I was thinking the same thing," he says halfheartedly.

"But that's not the only reason, is it?" I smirk, trying to get him out of this despondency that he's been in ever since we saw the light spirit. "You want to get that girl to remember you, right?"

"Well of course I do," he says plainly. "Ilia and I have been friends ever since we were little! How could she not remember me, or anything else for that matter?"

I grin at him. "You like her, don't you?"

"What?!" He says surprised. I chuckle as I see his cheeks grow bright red. "I… I… No I don't!" He says defensively.

"Oh really?" I say teasingly. "Because I think that you do. I could tell by the way you looked at her…"

"No," he says, his face still reddening in embarrassment. "We… We're just really good friends!"

"Sure you are…" I say coyly. "Well either way, maybe you'll find a way to restore her memory while we're searching for that last Fused Shadow."

"Yeah," he says as we finally make it to the bridge's overlook. We're about to head down to the bridge but we both notice that the same bothersome monster from earlier who had kidnapped Colin is patrolling the bridge.

"Oh brother…" I frown, placing my hands on my hips. "Not this guy again. I'm telling you, no matter how many times you battle him, it's a waste. Looks like you're going to have to teach him a lesson."

At that moment, we hear the sound of approaching horse hooves which signifies that Ilia and the woman are almost here. I slip back into Link's shadow before they come into view. They ride into the area, the woman driving a horse-drawn covered wagon which holds Ilia and the Zora boy.

Once they arrive, Link warns them of the monster on the bridge and the woman and Ilia go over to the overlook to see. Likewise, Link dismounts his horse and joins them and the three of them examine the obstacle for a moment or two before heading back up to the path that should take us to Kakariko Village. Finally, it seems like we're all ready to go.

"T-thank you so much for this…" Ilia says to Link before we set off. Link just looks at her sadly. Of course, he knows that restoring her lost memory won't be as easy as just telling her everything. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, what's your name?"

He musters a weak smile, though his eyes are filled with sorrow. "Link," is all he says, as he turns his gaze away from hers to look at the path ahead.

"…Link?!" she says excitedly. Link's eyes widen and he turns to look at her once more, hoping that she remembers him, but she doesn't. "I will never in all my life forget your kindness, Link," she says, smiling warmly at him. He turns away from her once more, unable to look her in the unknowing eyes.

_How ironic…_ I think from the shadows.

"Little lady, I think you'd best save your thanks until we're safe in Kakariko…" the woman says looking back to Ilia. "This swordsman of ours has great eyes, honey. They're proud and wild… like a feral beast…"

From the shadows, I let loose a small snicker. _She has no idea… _I think, smiling at the incredible irony of her statement. I'm sure if Link wasn't in such a despondent state, a laugh would probably escape from him too.

"We need a beast right now," the woman continues. "To keep the true ones away. If we make it to Kakariko safely, we'll just thank him then, OK?" She flashes Link a quick wink and for the first time in a long time, I catch him smile. And for some reason, seeing him smile again causes a smile to cross my face as well.

The party sets out and starts towards the bridge. As expected the monster still waits there, ready to attack any trespassers who dare try to cross the bridge. After telling the woman and Ilia to keep their distance until the bridge is cleared, Link rides out to meet the beast in battle. However, as we approach the monster, we notice that it now carries a pair of shields, completely protecting it on both sides. But, I notice that it's front is bare and completely vunrable.

"What's this guy's problem?" I say from the shadows as we get ever closer to the creature. "Looks like he went and got himself a nice pair of matching shields! What an idiot though! He's got his sides protected, but his front is totally open. Don't waste time swiping your sword at this guy. You should try using a projectile when the time is right!"

He takes my suggestion and gets out his bow. He quickly nocks an arrow and sends it flying directly at the monster, which causes it to lose its balance on the beast that its riding and it plummets over the side of the bridge towards the lake.

"Not bad…" I whisper to him as he motions for the wagon to continue on through.

"Thanks," he smiles confidently as he rides ahead of the wagon, to cover it all the way to Kakariko. I think he's finally going back to his old self, finally having recovered from what happened back at the spirit's spring and the fact that Ilia has lost her memory. Though I have a feeling that the latter still bothers him at least a little.

We emerge into Hyrule Field, finally leaving the Lanayru province. Of course, the path to Kakariko is far from clear. Monsters riding large beasts litter the field, all ready to attack the wagon without mercy. Link leads the way, his sword drawn all the while as we press through the field over the cover of night. The woman drives the carriage so that it stays close behind him. At first, he stays ahead of the wagon watching the path ahead, until the girl's screams erupt from the wagon. He snaps his head back to discover that one of the monsters has set the wagon on fire with its flame-tipped arrows. "Ilia!" He cries out and turns his horse around, circling the wagon and trying to figure out how to douse the flames. I watch his desperation as he tries to figure out what to do, when suddenly it seems to hit him. He pulls out the boomerang that he got from the forest temple and flings it at the wagon, a strong gust of wind following it as usual. Instantly, the flames are put out and he sighs in relief. We continue on through, but this time, Link is careful to cover the wagon even more protectively, making sure to get rid of any more monsters along the way.

After about an hour or so, we finally reach the gates of Kakariko Village and hurry through them. Though it must be late at night, Renado is still up and so are the most of the Ordonian children. As soon as our party arrives in the village, they rush out of the sanctuary to greet them and carry the injured Zora boy to the village's inn to be treated. Ilia stays by the Zora child's side while Renado treats him and Link and Colin wait outside of the room in the inn. Link tells Colin about Ilia's lost memory, among other things, before Renado emerges from the room sometime later, his brow creased in worry.

"…He has passed through the worst of it," Renado assures the two of them. "As long as he rests, he should recover in due time." Link and Colin exchange brief smiles as the shaman continues. "Do you know the fate of his mother?" He asks Link. "Her welfare consumes him. He has been mumbling deliriously about her almost constantly…"

Link looks down sadly. Of course, our suspicions of the Zora boy's identity have been confirmed. Unfortunately for the Zora however, his mother is gone from the world. And the poor child has no idea. "It's not good…." He says, not needing to elaborate as Renado immediately catches on.

"I see," Renado says consolingly. "The knowledge grieves you. It must be an awful memory."

"I'll stay with him until he's better!" Colin proclaims brightly. "No matter how long it takes!"

"Is that so?" Renado kneels down to look Colin in the eyes. "Thank you, Colin."

As the two of them head down the stairs to leave the inn however, Link looks through the doorway one last time to where Ilia sits at the Zora prince's side, speaking with Renado's daughter Luda. That same look of sadness that he always gets when he looks at her rests on his features. I have to admit to myself that I feel a bit sorry for him. He trekked across Hyrule looking for her and she barely even remembers a thing about him. I know that it's not really her fault, but still, it's hard on him.

Outside of the inn, the woman waits as Link, Colin and Renado exit. "Hey, Link, about Ilia…" Colin says. The moment her hears her name, Link sighs sadly. "Is it true, what they say about her?"

Link opens his mouth to answer but Renado does so first. "Yes, she has lost her memory, Colin," the shaman says, sensing Link's melancholy and explaining for him. "And regaining it will not be a simple task. But it will be alright child. If we just give her some time, I am certain that Ilia will find her heart again." Link looks down sadly as he says that, and I glance at him worriedly. Though at this point, I don't think I know anything to say to comfort him. "So, Colin," Renado continues. "I'd like to ask you to stay in this village until then. It is our turn to show the courage that you have already displayed." Colin smiles and nods in agreement and then rushes back into the inn. Renado gives Link a respectful bow before heading off in the direction of the Eldin spirit's spring.

"Nice to see there's still hope here…" the woman says contentedly after Renado is out of earshot. "And it's always good to see happy results repay your efforts…."

Link turns to face her as she's speaking. "Those skills of yours…" She says thoughtfully. "Any chance you're of the mind to put them to use for Hyrule?"

"Actually…" Link says, a slight smile on his face. "I have been…"

The woman smiles cleverly at him. "Oh really?" she says. "Good. What little hope there is in this kingdom is frail and dying… but there's still a group trying to do what it can. And I'm a member of that group. Call me Telma." She reaches a hand out for him to shake, which he does. "I may just stay here a bit longer," she muses, glancing around the village. "I'm still worried about Ilia and… Well, never mind about the rest…" She glances over in Renado's direction as he heads towards the spring. "Link," she says, walking over to him. "I want to see you again at my bar, you hear?" She looks around cautiously before continuing. "The bar is actually a kind of safe house for my friends. There's a passageway that leads to the castle from in there as well."

I commit that piece of information to memory as she says it, knowing it could be of good use to us in the future. Telma starts to head off after Renado but not before turning to speak to Link one last time. "If you ever need anything, stop by," she says warmly. "I'll be waiting for you, honey!" She shoots him a sly wink and runs off after Renado.

"Well," I say from the shadows as he starts to head back towards the inn doors. "The Zora prince is safe. Now all we have to do…" I trail off as a strange wind blows across the area. Link turns around and we are greeted by the ghostly figure of the Zora queen, floating a few feet away from us. She says nothing, but simply glides in the direction of the village graveyard.

"How convenient!" I whisper as he begins to follow her. "Looks like we'll be getting our hands on that 'special ability' here too!"

"And then you'll finally have that Fused Shadow, right Midna?" he asks and I can see the smart grin on his face.

"Yes!" I proclaim. "Just remember, a promise is a promise and if I remember correctly, you promised me that you'd get ALL of them. Just because you found your girlfriend doesn't mean that anything has changed."

"She's not my girlfriend!" he says defensively and I giggle.

"Whatever you say…" I smirk at him as we arrive at the graveyard.

At the far end of a graveyard is a lone gravestone set against a wall. However as we follow Rutela the gravestone mysteriously vanishes, revealing a narrow hole that leads to an area that contains a pool of water. At the back end of the pool is another gravestone, more ornate then the last. Rutela floats beside it.

"I am deeply grateful to you for aiding my son in his time of need," she says. "You were right to bring him here. Kakariko Village is a sacred place for the Zora people. It is where we take our eternal rest. My husband in life, King Zora, also rests his spirits here. It is no coincidence my son found his salvation in this place. That which I have promised you is within this grave. During his lifetime, my husband crafted garments specifically for the chosen hero, garments that house the abilities of the Zora." The gravestone shifts back, revealing a set of blue armor-like clothing resting underneath it. Link takes the clothing, which will hopefully allow him to traverse the depths of Lake Hylia and get to that temple. "Now at last, I can join the king in slumber," the queen says tiredly. "And yet… my son… He still knows nothing of my death… If you see him again, please pass on this message… Tell him that he must not grieve his mother's passing. Tell him she wanted him to be brave and live on as the king of our people. And… Tell him that his mother… loves him without end. Please tell him…" With her final message relayed, the Zora queen fades from sight.

I slip out of his shadows to address him properly for the first time in awhile. "Well it's a good thing you found all of your friends and picked up that nifty Zora armor huh?" I say. "But don't forget what's most important: the Fused Shadow!"

"You mean the most important for you, right?" he says, grinning lightly.

"Well… I guess…" I say tentatively. "But at the same time, it's also important for you too. Remember what the light spirit of Faron said? It said that you would need the Fused Shadows to defeat the dark overlord Zant and save the world of light… So like I said before, even if you go back home now with all of the people you saved… the whole tragedy would just repeat itself!"

"I know," he says with full understanding.

"Now I know it's been a lot of trouble…" I say. "But we're in the final stretch, so let's go get that last Fused Shadow!"

"Right," he says as we work our way out of the graveyard. Before we leave however, he looks back to me in his shadow. "Hey Midna?"

"What?"

"What happens after we defeat Zant?"

For some reason, I'm taken aback by this question because I'm not entirely sure how to answer him. Of course I know that once Zant is taken down, I'll be restored to my former shape and I will reassume my rule of the Twilight Realm. But I can't tell him all of that yet. At the moment, he doesn't even know that he'll have to find the Mirror of Twilight, where ever it is and go into the Twilight Realm to even fight Zant. I know that I should tell him, but the time will come for all of that. As far as what will happen to him though after it's all said and done, I simply don't know. I guess he'll be the hero and everything, but after that… well, that's up to him. And so, I simply tell him that. "I don't know," I say vaguely, but then I laugh to lighten the mood. "I guess we'll find out once we do so. Now come on! Snap to it and get that last Fused Shadow!"

**WRITER'S BLOCK IS EVIL! Yeah so, sorry it took me so long to update and i am so sorry that this chapter turned out to be much longer than expected. I just had so much i had to fit into it. I have a feeling that the next chapter is going to be pretty short though and then we get to the good stuff! :D so yeah... Until next time!**


	15. The Lakebed

_Chapter 15: The Lakebed_

Our trek back to Lake Hylia is uneventful. Once we get there, Link makes good use of that Zora armor the queen gave him and we find the temple's entrance with relative ease. Like the light spirit said, the temple lies at the very bottom of the lake, though interestingly enough, once we make it inside, we find that it's not totally submerged in water. There's actually breathable air, even within the depths of this underwater structure and surprisingly enough, the water mixed with the subtle warm of the air gives the temple a relaxing feeling.

"This place is certainly a lot nicer than those hot and stuffy Goron mines!" I call out from the shadows once we enter the main part of the temple. "So, where could that Fused Shadow be?" I ask slyly.

Before he has a chance to respond, a large stalactite hanging from the ceiling comes crashing down to the ground a few feet away from us. "Whoa…" I say, rising from the shadows to get a better look. "That's pretty treacherous. But it does give me an idea…" I give him a quick smile and a wink. "Maybe you should try knocking those stalactites down from the ceiling and they could act as stepping stones so you can get up there." I point to the next door, which rests on a raised stone platform. "All you'd need is something with enough force to break them…"

He grins at me, seeming to know what to do before I can even come up with anything. "I think I have just the thing for that…" he says as he pulls out his bow. I shrug and slip back into his shadows, and watch as he strings an arrow that's tipped with a bomb. He aims carefully at one of the stalactites and sends the arrow flying towards it. Upon contact with the stone, it explodes and sends the rock flying to the ground.

"Hm," I smile from the shadows as we go on. "Good idea…"

"Thanks," he smiles graciously.

After a few minutes we come across a large, circular room with several levels and a large, single staircase connecting two of the levels. The room in and of itself feels like a huge puzzle. All the different doors lining the walls of the tall chamber give me the impression that it would be quite easy to get lost in here. _Why did those Zora's think that it was a good idea to build such a large and complex temple in the first place? We'll most likely be here for hours…_ I think, scowling. But when I look up at Link, I see that he has that stern look of focus set on his face like he had back in the Goron Mines. I smile in spite of myself and relax, knowing that he already has everything taken care of. I trust him enough to get the job done right.

So, I let him traverse the temple on his own for a while, trying not to break that hard-set focus of his. I have to admit that he's a lot smarter than I thought he was when we first met, which by now, feels like ages ago. He's able to break through many of the temple's puzzles with ease, some of which I am not even able to figure out.

At one point, we enter a room where the exit is too high up to reach on foot. Unfortunately, the ceiling is clear of stalactites that could be used as a way up there, but what's worse is what does happen to be lurking on the ceiling. A giant, frog-like monstrosity hangs from the ceiling of the room and the minute we catch sight of it, it plummets to the ground. The creature is even more revolting up close: it's a slimy behemoth with several eyeball-like creatures attached to its back. Just the sight of it makes me sick to my stomach.

"Ugg…" I groan in disgust as Link takes on the small eyeball creatures that have now come loose from the monster's back. "It's so creepy… I can't stand slimy things like this… This one's all yours!" I proclaim.

"Oh come on Midna…" Link says, a smart grin on his face as he fights the thing. "It's not that bad…"

"Oh yes it is!" I exclaim sharply. "That thing is gross! Hurry up and do something about it!"

He laughs at my obvious displeasure but he disposes of the thing nonetheless. In its dying moments, the monster spits out a treasure chest and then vanishes, much to my relief.

"Eww…" I moan as we approach the chest to grab whatever bounty the creature has left behind. "That wasn't good for my appetite…" I scowl as Link laughs once more. "Knock it off!" I say bitterly, but I can't help smile a second or two later. "Let's just see what that thing left for us and then get tofinding that last Fused Shadow. I'm getting tired of this place."

"Right," he says easily. Inside of the chest is a strange device that almost looks like a claw that could be used to grab something. The claw is attached to a long chain that could act almost as a grappling hook. And in our case, this immediately proves to be handy. He uses this new item to get out of the room by using it to grapple to a target-like surface that hangs above the door.

The new item proves to be useful throughout the temple. It grants us access to areas that were inaccessible before and allows us to breeze through the temple at a much quicker pace. By manipulating the flow of the water through the temple we unravel its secrets one by one, until our efforts are rewarded with a large key, no doubt to open the door of the room that the Fused Shadow is in. And the entrance to that room just so happens to be conveniently located back in the large central chamber of the temple.

After going through the door, a deep pit awaits us; most likely the nest of whatever Twilit beast is guarding the Fused Shadow. He jumps into the pit and lands safely in the water that rests at the bottom. As he's been doing throughout the temple, he uses his iron boots to sink to the floor of the room in conjuncture with the Zora armor so he can breathe. In the center of the floor is the monster that must be defeated to get the Fused Shadow: a large, worm-like creature with many tentacles. Its weak spot is clear: a large eyeball that moves through the tentacles freely.

"Hey. Keep your distance from that thing," I warn him. "Stay clear of those tentacles but at the same time try to find some way to get attack that eyeball thing!"

He nods and studies the creatures moments carefully. After a moment or two he pulls out the clawshot and aims for the eye, succeeding to pull it from the tentacles into a position that he can attack it with his sword. The eyeball quickly retreats back into the tentacles and suddenly, the entire beast emerges from its burrow in the ground. The eye has changed its position, now imbedded into the back of the creature. The creature swims through the water freely, making it harder to target the eye.

To attack the eye this time around, Link swims alongside the fast moving creature and targets the eye once more with the clawshot. He pounds away at it with his sword, causing great damage to the beast with each stab. Having enough of this, the creature shakes Link off its back, but he just retaliates by repeating the targeting and stabbing process. Eventually, the worm cries out in extreme pain and thrashes around the room wildly, until it rams into the nearby wall. The impact not only creates a hole though which most of the water in the room escapes through, but also destroys the monster as well.

I grin with excitement as the third and final Fused Shadow appears, as expected. _This is it! _I think gleefully. _This is the last thing I need to retake my throne!_ _Soon everything will be back to normal!_ I'm beside myself with joy and elation and I let it show when I rise from the shadows to take the dark relic.

"There it is!" I smile at Link, who is also grinning lightly. "The last Fused Shadow is finally ours! I'll just take that, thanks!" I contort my hair into a hand once more and take the Fused Shadow.

"So this is it then, right?" he asks. Of course, I know that this isn't the very last thing we need to do. Just because we found all of the Fused Shadows that doesn't mean Zant will be automatically defeated. There's still the matter of finding the Mirror of Twilight and fighting Zant in the Twilight Realm, but I'll tell Link that soon enough. For now, I'm too excited to do much explaining at all.

I grin mysteriously and answer his question ambiguously. "Maybe…" I say shrugging.

"But Midna, we've already done so much! What else is there that possibly needs to be done?" he says, exasperation already starting to show.

I roll my eyes. "Oh come on…" I say lightly. "Don't resent me for all I've put you through now! I NEED these things!" His smile returns after a moment or two of pouting, but my manner grows grave. "Besides," I say, my smile vanishing. "We have to do something about Zant, the one who _thinks _he is the king of shadows… His power is a false one… And I'll prove it using these!"

He simply nods as I lighten up once more. I can't stay in a darkened mood when I'm so close to returning home again, to reclaiming my throne, to looking like a true princess once more instead of this hideous impish form. I just can't wait.

"So…" I say. "I've done everything I needed to. I'm sorry for dragging you all over the place with me…" I apologize with sincerity.

"Its fine," Link laughs warmly. "It was actually kind of fun."

"Really?" I ask, chuckling softly.

"Yeah," he says. "Aside from you yelling at me."

We both laugh and I realize that despite the circumstances, I think I've had fun too. This whole journey started out as something obligatory, but now, it doesn't feel that way anymore. Of course, the Twilight Realm still needs saving, but I have a feeling that it will go by quickly now, though for some strange reason, I'm not sure if I want it to.

Of course, I still want my realm to be free, but I've such an enjoyable and exciting time traveling with Link that I'm not sure if I want it to end. How strange it feels to even think that though, knowing how rocky our partnership began. Our necessary alliance began as a master-servant relationship, with both of us having mutual distaste for the other. But now, I feel like I can actually call him a friend and I'm sure he feels the same. As the thought runs through my mind I smile once more and simply shake my head, not planning on telling him how thankful I am for his services _quite_ yet…

"Well," I say, creating a portal a few feet away that will take us back to the spirit's spring. "I'm ready to go. Shall we?"

He smiles and nods and we're on our way. Once again, I'm filled with excitement, knowing that the hardest part of our journey is over. All that remains is to take down Zant. _Look out Zant… _I think as the portal transports us out of the temple. _We're on our way…_

**OK, so yes, I did rush the temple, but like i've been saying, the next few chapters are going to be awesome! I already have a lot of great ideas for the next section so I can't wait to get them written! Until next time! :D**


	16. The Encounter

_Chapter 16: The Encounter_

The second we arrive back at the spirit's spring, I immediately feel that something is wrong. I glance around the spring from Link's shadow and see nothing out of the ordinary, but I feel as though there's a presence lurking somewhere in the spirit's cave that is ready to strike at any second. But when both Link and I turn around, we are greeted by the last sight that I had ever expected to encounter in this place.

Both Link and I gasp simultaneously when we see him. I remain in the shadows though, unable to move due to sheer shock. For the person who has been waiting here for us, who has no doubt set a trap here for us, is the very person who we were about to go find and dispose of: Zant.

_He's found me… _I think, dread seeping its way into me. But why should I worry? Zant may have just made things easier for us by coming here in the flesh. If anything, I should be telling Link to leap at this opportunity, but like me, he's too surprised at the moment to even move.

Time slows to a crawl as Zant simply stands there, towering over Link. I want to leap from the shadows, to command Link to attack, but I am stunned in my place in the shadows. Unable to move or speak out of fear.

I hardly notice as the water in the spirit's spring lights up. The light spirit does what neither Link nor I will do. It emerges from the spring and hisses at the self proclaimed king of Twilight, trying to drive him back by the power of its burning light. Zant is somehow unphased by this but retaliates by sending out a strange wave of force that knocks Link off his feet and blows the spirit back into the wall of the cave, subduing its light. My heart starts racing and my breathing grows heavy as I watch him send the spirit's light back from where it came with a simple wave of his hand. What kind of power did he find that he's even able to do that?

"Link…" I whisper worriedly, watching as Twilight unceremoniously covers the spring once more. "Get up…"

As Twilight fully cloaks the spring, the obvious happens: Link, who is unconscious from Zant's attack, turns back into a wolf and I appear on the ground next to him. Zant can clearly see me now and so I command myself to show no fear. I glare relentlessly at my adversary. "Zant!" I hiss hatefully, wanting nothing more than to tare into the very one who stole my kingdom from me.

Zant does not respond. He continues to stand there ominously. Suddenly, I feel a strange force lift me off the ground and pins me in the air above the spring. I struggle against it, but it's no use. Zant walks to the edge of the platform overlooking the spirit's spring, and I can do nothing as he uses his strange magic to draw all three Fused Shadows away from me. I struggle even harder, though I know it won't do any good. But I'm not about to let him take away what Link and I had worked so hard to get.

"Did you honestly mean to take such an ancient and withered power like this and use it against me?" he asks, a mocking and sadistic tone in his voice. He sends the Fused Shadows flying past him, and I glare at him hatefully. "You are a foolish traitor, Midna," he says plainly.

_How ironic that he is calling ME the traitor! _I think furiously. _After all, he is the one who overthrew his ruler! That's the most traitorous act someone could commit!_

"Why do you defy your king?" Zant asks and as he says that, I can remain silent no longer.

"My KING?!" I exclaim in disbelief. "You, who do nothing but abuse the magic of your tribe? You MUST be joking!" By now, I am so provoked that I'm shaking with fury. If only I could free myself from this invisible hold that he has on me. Then I would show him that it's not a good idea to make me mad.

"How dare you?!" Zant exclaims, though he still has little emotion in his voice. "Are you implying that my power is… our old magic? Now THAT is a joke!"

I open my mouth to speak once more but before I can even get a word out, Zant has the invisible force that holds me toss me to the ground behind him roughly. I groan out in pain, the impact knocking the wind out of me.

"This power is granted to me by my god!" Zant says and my eyes widen with horror as I turn to face him. A dark red orb of strange energy has formed before him and I know exactly what it's for. Clearly, he must intend to kill me. It's what he's wanted to do ever since I escaped from his grasp after he cursed me. "It is the magic of the king of Twilight and you WILL respect it!"

My eyes are wide with fear but out of the corner of them I catch sight of Link, who is finally stirring. For a brief second our eyes meet, until he sees Zant, who is ready to deal his blow on me. "No…" I mouth to him as I watch him quickly rise to his feet. I know what he's about to do and I can't let him. "Link, no!" I shout out but already I am too late. He leaps at Zant, trying to attack him, but it's all in vain. "Link!" I cry desperately as I watch Zant block his attack with the energy orb. He yelps in pain as he makes contact with the dark orb, which explodes and sends Link flying back in my direction.

Immediately, I'm on my feet as I rush to Link's side. The attack has knocked him unconscious once more, but at the very least, he's alive. But the very first thing I notice is a strange, magical object that seems to be imbedded into his forehead. I can feel dark power emanating from whatever it is. I panic, not caring if Zant sees, as I try to get it out. "Link…" I whisper softy and sadly, worried more than ever before. I have no idea what Zant has done or what that thing is, but it can't be good. I watch helplessly as the thing sinks into his forehead until it's gone from sight. It doesn't even leave a scar or anything. He's lucky though, that could have very well killed him, if it won't sometime later.

I have no more time to help Link, because in an instant I feel myself being held by Zant's hidden force. This time, my hands are held tightly behind my back as it pulls me back away from Link, until I am inches away from Zant, though my back is still turned to him. His voice is low as he speaks and his tone is threatening and dark. "My Midna…" he says, leaning in close to my face. I set my mouth in a tight line so that profanities will not rush out it. "Did you forget? That beast is one of the light dwellers who oppressed our people for so long…"

Of course, I don't believe a word he says. Zant has always been bitter towards beings of light; after all, it's the very reason that he shrouded Hyrule in Twilight. Aside from that, he is ignorant to what really happened, why our people were really banished to the Twilight Realm. The beings of light really had little to do with it at all. It was our own greed that sent us there, but we have moved passed that. Well, most of us. Zant, obviously, has not.

"No matter how much you may desire otherwise," Zant continues. "You will never be more than a shadow in their world. You know that you can't consort with their kind! Yet you have chosen to make an alliance with one of them anyway… How amusing…" He laughs darkly and by now, I am smoldering with anger. "But," Zant says, his invisible grip on me tightening. "If we make their world ours, Midna… light and darkness will finally meet at last! Our tribe will finally take back their realm… and sweet darkness will blot out this harsh light!"

The plan that Zant is purposing is insane. To permanently cover the world of light in Twilight. He must not know that our world cannot survive without theirs and vice versa. To cover one with the other would destroy both.

"And that, Midna, is why…" Zant whispers as the portion of his helmet that conceals his mouth lifts away. He leans in so close that if he wanted to slit my throat right then and there, it would require almost no movement. "I need you…" he whispers slowly in my ear. His breath is icy as it touches my neck but I don't move. I don't even look in his direction. My gaze is set in a tight glare at the ground below me.

Of course, I know why Zant needs me. Even with whatever powers his "god" supplied him with, he still does not hold the power to totally shroud the land in Twilight forever. Only the powers of a true Twili ruler could even try to do that.

"Not just for me…" Zant goes on. "But for all our people… Lend me your power…" I give him no response. My choice is obvious but he must want to appeal to me anyway. "Midna…" he says, still whispering. "If you do this… I will not hesitate to restore you to your former beauty… Is that not worth it? All you have to do is say yes…"

_My former beauty… _I think, realizing how tantalizing that offer is. Yet in the end it would not be worth it. Though I pine to return to my normal appearance, that would mean I would have to ally myself with Zant, the very one who took it away from me. Yet there's even more to it than that. I look at Link, still lying unconscious. Saying yes to Zant would be complete and utter betrayal. Everything that the two of us have worked for from restoring the light to Hyrule to finding the Fused Shadows enters my head all at once. If I sided with Zant, that would all be undone. My answer is so clear that I don't even bother saying it. Instead I struggle from Zant's loosened grip and free myself from it. I land on the ground and float over to stand by Link's side once more, bravely glaring at Zant all the while. I don't care what he does to me. I do not regret my choice.

"So be it…" Zant says, his voice dark and angry. "I will return you to the world of light that you covet so!"

Once more, Zant ensnares me in his invisible grip. I scream as he quickly tosses me over the waters of the spring and holds me there tighter than before. My eyes widen as I realize that the Twilight is fading from the area, but I am unable to move to escape into Link's shadow. Without that, I won't be able to sustain myself in the world of light. My heart races even faster as the light starts to plainly bear on me, and already the pain begins. It's dull, but suddenly, as the light spirit rises from the spring, it intensifies. The pure light of the spirit shines on me and I scream, unable to stand it. Searing pain rips through me, running through every part of my body. I close my eyes to keep them from burning out of my head as I feel the light pour on me still.

It will kill me. I know it will. Yet still, even as the light pushes me to the brink of death and I feel it eating away at me, I do not regret my choice. The only thing I regret is not being able to help my kingdom in its hour of need, especially when I had been so close… And I also regret the fact that Link took a blow that was meant for me. I still don't know that thing that Zant embedded into him is, and I most likely will not find out, but it shakes me nonetheless. Not that it matters. Zant will probably kill him anyway. _Link… _I think weakly, clearing out all other thoughts from my rushing mind and trying to let the pain go for a second, but failing. Yet at the very least, I'm able to call up one image to mind: the two of us celebrating over finding the last Fused Shadow, which, though it happened only a few minutes ago, feels like days ago now. I try to hold onto the picture of his kind smile and I know that I had been undeserving of his kindness. Especially after how I treated him with such contempt. How I had called him nothing more than my servant when he's clearly so much more. I feel a hot tear stream down my cheek in the burning light. _Link… I'm so sorry…_

**:'(...Well, I'm not really sure what to say at this point. I guess... until next time... :(**


	17. The Lament

**SORRY! It's been almost a month since i worked on this story and i am SO SORRY! I have just been super busy with school and other stories, but i want to get back on track with this one, so here you go! Part 2 of the Midna's Lament section, appropriately entitled "The Lament". Enjoy, because i poured my heart and soul into this chapter!**_  
_

_Chapter 17: The Lament_

I can barely hear the soft roar of thunder as it sounds somewhere in the distance. Through my dulled and pained senses I can feel something soft and familiar underneath me, possibly Link's fur, but I'm not entirely sure of anything at the moment. All I know is the strong ache that racks me inside and out, both physically and mentally.

I manage to let out a small groan, but I still don't open my eyes as I hear the faint voice of the light spirit speaking vaguely from who knows where. I don't even try to make sense of most of what its saying, but I somehow catch onto a few of the words its saying in my muddled mind: _"Link… hero…" _its speech is sectioned as I hear it, but I weakly open my eyes to listen closer. I find that I'm on lying Link's back as I thought, he's conscious once more, and that we're no longer in the spirit's cave, with Zant looming overhead, but rather we're in the nighttime darkness of Hyrule Field, not too far away from the castle I suppose. "_Princess… castle…" _I force my ears to grasp onto the spirits last few words that it has to say to Link. _"That princess holds the key that can unlock your shadow form…" _

In the mist of my pained mind, I try to make sense of what the spirit said, but I lose my train of thought when Link turns his head back and gently nudges my sprawled out hand. I strain my focus to look into his worried blue eyes and I work up the strength to give him a small reassuring smile. "Hey…" I sigh, my wavering voice barely louder than a whisper. "You… OK…?"

He gives me a quick nod and then nudges my hand again, as if he's trying to ask me if I am, though he obviously knows that I'm not. I let out a quiet groan in reply, but then I finally realize that we're not in the Twilight. I am physically within the world of light, but this is not a good thing. It's a result of Zant tossing me into the light spirit, which caused me to blend with the light, something that will kill a Twili like me indefinitely. So why hasn't it yet? I feel close to death, my senses fading with each passing second, but I'm not there quite yet. I know I won't make it too much longer and I have little hope for recovery. But as I glance down at Link as he starts to run towards castle town, my worries go elsewhere. Since we're in the world of light, why is he still a wolf? Something's very wrong here, so I try to remember back to what happened just a few moments ago in the spirit's cave, though my memory is blurry. There are only three things I can remember from the entire encounter with Zant: him pleading with me to help him, me being thrown into the light spirit, and, at the moment, the most pertinent part of it all: Link taking that blow of Zant's dark energy that had been intended for me. As I can clearly see, it didn't kill him, or even injure him, but then, what did it do? Is it the reason why he's still in his wolf form, even though we're not in the Twilight? If that's the case, then Zant must have cursed him or did something to trap him in this form. Guilt starts to mix with every other painful feeling inside of me, but then I remember the light spirit's instructions: go to the princess. Zelda… What could she do to help the current situation? So far, she's proven herself as useless, but at the moment, we don't have a great deal of options. Perhaps she can shed some light on exactly what's wrong…

"Link…" I groan, as we near the entrance to town. He stops dead in his tracks and looks at me with worry once more. By now, rain is pouring down on us in sheets, and I can clearly feel it for the first time. It soaks us both, and chills to the bones. "H-hurry…" I say weakly, trying to force a sense of urgency into my tone. "Hurry… to… Z-Zelda…" He simply nods with sincerity, and I sigh in relief, closing my eyes and letting myself fade away into the icy pounding of the rain on my back.

* * *

When I lazily drift back into a bout of consciousness, I find that we're just outside of Telma's Bar inside of town. Link seems to be conversing with a cat, which seems to be telling him something important. I interrupt the conversation though, with a painful groan that immediately catches Link's attention. "Plea… Please…" I mutter, glancing at the cat and hoping it can understand what I'm saying, if it knows anything at all. "Princess… Z-Zelda…" Both Link and I watch the cat's movements as it motions its head to a small window above the bar's door. Suddenly I remember what Telma told Link earlier; that there was a hidden passageway that connected her bar and Hyrule Castle. At this moment, that piece of information and the cat's assistance couldn't be more invaluable.

I manage to remain conscious for a while as Link follows the cat's advice and takes the passageway. I don't put much of my wavering focus into what's actually going on though. I trust that Link is able to find his way to Zelda on his own. Instead, I shift through what I sure will be some of my last thoughts. I'm lucky that I have at least a little time to look back and reflect on my life and regrets before I die. But, as I try to do so, one clear thought keeps persisting in my mind. With every little move I make or every tiny groan I let out, Link glances back at me, with that constant look of concern on his face. Of all the many things he could be worried about at the moment, his main concern seems to be my welfare. In fact, I'm the last place where his worry should be! I'm completely undeserving of it, especially in times such as these. Perhaps I'm finally getting what I deserve for treating him in such a hateful manner when we first met. But then, why does he have to suffer as well? What if Zelda can't find a way to return him to normal? What if he's doomed to remain a wolf forever? He doesn't deserve that, especially after all the good he's done for Hyrule. If it wasn't for him, this entire kingdom would still be cowering under a curtain of Twilight. If only one of this can come out of this unscathed, it has to be him. It doesn't matter to me anymore whether I live or die. I'm a disgrace to my realm enough as it is. But Hyrule is still not safe and neither is the Twilight Realm. I still hold onto the glimmer of hope that he can save both worlds, even if he has to do it without me. At the moment, that hope is the only thing that is pulling me through.

After treading through the castle's sewers once more, we finally arrive in Princess Zelda's room, but, much to my dismay she is nowhere to be found. As I notice this, I let myself fall off of Link's back and onto the cold stone floor, in a hopeless slump. _What are we going to do now? _I think mournfully, taking her absence as a sign that nothing more can be done to help Link.

Suddenly, I feel a gentle touch on my shoulder and I see Link look up to the figure kneeling behind me. I sigh in relief as I pled to Zelda for help. "Please…" I force myself to speak as firmly as I can, though pain lingers on each word. I can tell that it won't be much longer until I fade away entirely. "Please tell me… How do we break… the curse… on this one?" I glance over at Link as Zelda gently takes one of my hands into her own. "This…" I continue weakly. "This is the one… You need him… to save your world!" My eyes meet with Link's for a brief moment and I give him a gentle smile. "That's why…" I say, finishing my appeal to the princess. "Princess… please… you must help Link…"

Zelda says nothing as she turns her attention to Link, holding her hand out and slowly moving it as if she's examining something. Link's focus does not move from me, and I simply let out a very small laugh as I shake my head at him. I want to tell him to worry about himself, that it doesn't matter what happens to me, but I don't have the strength to even try.

Zelda closes her eyes, and muses, as if deep in thought for a moment before speaking. "What binds him is a different magic then what transformed him when he first passed the curtain of Twilight. It is an evil power…" she says and I know that she is referring to Zant's dark magic. "Our world is one of balance," she speaks to Link now, who is listening carefully to her every word. "Just as there is light to drive away darkness, so too is there benevolence to banish evil." I have a hard time trying to understand fully what she is saying, but her next statement is a set of instructions that are as clear as day: "Head for the Sacred Grove that lies deep within the lands guarded by the light spirit Faron. There you will find the blade of evil's bane that was crafted by the wisdom of the ancient sages… the Master Sword. The Master Sword is a sacred blade that evil can never touch. Evil cloaks you like a dark veil… and that blade is the only thing that can cleave it." I smile lightly as I realize that there is a way to help him after all. "Link," Zelda goes on. "Hero sent by the goddesses… Like you I have been granted special powers by the goddesses…" She holds up her hand, where three golden triangles glow faintly. The Triforce, spoken of in Twili lore. The same mark that I saw on the back of Link's hand when he first entered the Twilight. The very reason why he is more than qualified to be a hero.

"Fine…" I sigh weakly. "Link… You can…" I stop mid-sentence when I see that look of concern once more. I know he'll protest to what I'm about to say, but he must know that there's little he can do to change what has been done. "You can get to the woods… on your own, right?"

Link looks at me, his eyes filled with sudden grief. I can tell that he knows why I'm asking him this, why I won't be coming with him to the woods or anywhere else. My time is short. I doubt I even have more than two hours left to live. If I had more strength then I would thank him for everything he has done to help me thus far and how invaluable he has been. I would tell him that I enjoyed my brief time with him and apologize for the way I acted when we first met. But I don't even have enough strength to give him a proper goodbye. And all of these unspoken words make up perhaps my biggest regret.

What little words I do have left, I make necessary use of. Even though I won't be around anymore, the Twilight Realm still needs liberated. It doesn't deserve to fall into the hands of evil just because I have failed it. "Princess…" I say to Zelda. "I have one last… request… Can you tell him… where to find the Mirror of Twilight?"

Silence fills the room for a moment or two, and for a brief second, I think that Zelda is about to refuse to tell him, and the prospect terrifies me. But Zelda speaks a moment later, though she does not answer my request. "Midna…" she says, with a hint of awe and realization in her tone. "I believe I understand now just who and what you are…" I let out a quick gasp, knowing that she must intend to tell Link her newfound knowledge of my identity. She knows now that I am the Twilight Princess, or at the very least was. But, much to my relief, she doesn't dispel that information. "Despite your mortal injuries," she says a slight sadness in her eyes. "You act in our stead… These dark times are the result of our deeds, yet it is you who have reaped the penalty." I try to wrap my mist-filled mind around what she has said, but I'm even more confused by what she says next. "Accept this now, Midna. I pass it to you."

Zelda says no more as a soft glow of light surrounds her. Suddenly, I feel a rejuvenating, healing warmth run through ever part of my body as the same light begins to envelop me as well. The pain that had a strong grip on me earlier fades instantly as I rise off the ground, replaced by the light that Zelda is giving me. I stare at her wide-eyed as I finally realize what's going on: Zelda is giving her Triforce to me. She is healing me by giving me her light, so that I can sustain myself in this world. But I know full well, that in the process, Zelda will lose her ability to keep her form in the very world of light that she was born into. I gasp in shock. "No!" I shout, but Zelda does not let go of my hand. "Link! STOP HER!" I shout, but I know that he is just as stunned as I am.

Zelda watches me calmly as I protest, and she simply gives me a light smile. My jaw is dropped in both wonder and horror, as her light fully enters me. Suddenly I feel her grip on my hand fading, and I know that she is disappearing. I turn my eyes away from her, not bearing to watch as she disappears into thin air.

When I look back at the spot that she was once kneeling in, there is nothing there. Not even a trace of her is left. A hallow, empty feeling fills me as I descend to the ground and stand near Link. Zelda just gave her very life for someone who scorned her name many times. It's at that moment that I realize that Zelda was a much better ruler then I could ever be. Her selfishness was unparalleled, and her kindness was unending, even to someone as undeserving as me. She didn't have to do that. She could have let me die and it wouldn't have really affected anything at all. But she chose to restore me for some reason, yet at her own expense. I am close to tears by this point, but I force them away. I turn away from the spot that Zelda had been in, and force myself not to grieve anymore. "We go back, Link!" I say firmly and strongly, with a hint of bitterness in my tone. "Back to Faron Woods!" I try to focus my mind back to the task at hand: getting Link back to normal, but my mind is still racing with thoughts of Zelda.

I firmly plant myself onto Link's back as he turns to leave the room. But I give him a soft tug before he exits the room entirely, making him stop. I glance down at my hand and sigh. I am undeserving of her gift. I should be dead right now, but I am not. And I owe my life entirely to Zelda, the very person whom I had claimed was a disgrace to her people. Now I clearly see that through everything that had happened before, I had only really been looking out for myself. I may have thought that I wanted the Twilight Realm restored, but in the end that was only for the sake of restoring myself and my position. Zelda, on the other hand, was only looking out for the welfare of her kingdom. It was the very reason why she surrendered to Zant; instead of lettering her people suffer at his hand, she spared them from great sorrow. And she stood by them, while I fled from my people, only for the sake of helping myself. Not to mention what I did was even worse: using Link like a servant, insulting him and giving him no thanks in return. Yet he has remained constantly loyal, showing more concern for me than himself. Both Link and Zelda are perhaps the two most virtuous people I have ever met. They are selfless and kind, and they have shown me just how flawed I am. But no more. I make a resolve at that moment to repay their endless kindness, in whatever way I can. And so, before we leave to head to the woods, I say one final thing to Zelda, if she can even hear me. "Zelda…" I say with firm resolve. "I've taken all you had to give… though I did not want it."

**That was such an experience to write! I have been thinking about this chapter for a LONG time and I'm so glad that it turned out the way i wanted it to! This is the part of the game that I see as Midna's change, where she goes from hateful and mean, to kind. But don't worry! She'll still be our loveable, sarcastic, snarky Midna, just a little less hateful towards Link. OK so Until Next Time!**


	18. The Sword

_Chapter 18: The Sword_

To save us some time, I warp both of us back to Hyrule Field, just outside of Castle Town. Thanks to Zelda's gift, I find that I no longer have to hide within Link's shadow; I am fully capable of sustaining myself and using my powers within the world of light. But it comes at such a high cost. Zelda is gone, a bitter reality that I don't really want to face. But I know, that if it wasn't for her generosity and sacrifice, I would most likely be dead by now.

The first rays of dawn are breaking as we arrive back in Hyrule Field. I say nothing to Link as he begins to head in the direction of Faron Woods. We go no more than a few yards away from the gates of Castle Town however, when a thunderous sound erupts from the direction of the castle. We both turn in the direction of the castle's ivory towers and watch with awe as a strange, glowing barrier envelops the place. Even from our position on the field, I can feel a dark energy emanating from it, signifying the presence of evil. No doubt a result of Zelda's presence fading from the castle, protecting it from such dark forces.

Whatever feeling of sadness that I have, they are immediately placed with anger towards the evil that seems to mock Zelda's sacrifice by invading her home. Zant has tipped the fragile balance that hangs between the worlds of light and Twilight, and Zelda is the one who had to pay the ultimate price. Perhaps now more than ever, hatred for the self proclaimed "king of Twilight" fills me, as I glare at the darkness that now shrouds Hyrule castle.

I can hear Link growling bitterly underneath me, no doubt sensing the same evil that I am, and I join him. But, as I glance down at my hand once more, restored by Zelda's power, I realize that there is little we can do at the moment to free the castle from it. And besides, our first priority at the moment needs to be breaking the curse on him. So I reposition myself on his back and urge him onward. "Come on…" I say quietly and solemnly. "Let's go."

* * *

To dramatically shorten travel time, I warp the two of us to Faron Woods. Zelda spoke of a sword that was located in a grove deep in the woods, but last time we were here, Link and I didn't see any grove whatsoever.

"So…" I say casually once we arrive, trying to chase away my lingering melancholy. "That sword you need should be somewhere around here… But where in the world could that grove Zelda mentioned be…?"

My question fades into the open air as a panicked shriek sounds in the distance, coming from the direction of the Forest Temple. We head towards its source to find one of the monkeys from earlier that assisted us in the temple, in trouble once more as its being chased by three puppet-like creatures. No doubt thinking that the monkey could lend us some more aid, Link quickly takes care of the things and in return, the monkey seems to tell him something that must be important. After the monkey departs, Link climbs to a ledge that faces a broad expanse, though it's not empty; several trees and other platforms jut out of the vastness of the expanse. We both examine the outlying expanse for a moment or two, until he looks up at me expectantly. It takes me a moment, but I eventually understand.

"Oh…" I say in realization. "So there's another section of the forest beyond this cliff?" I ask, and Link nods in confirmation. "That must be where the grove is! All right then, Link, let's go!"

I assist him in jumping across the several trees and platforms and we eventually gain access to a new area of the forest entirely. The place fits Zelda's description of a sacred grove well; it's full of lush greenery, tall trees and air filled with a mystical feeling. Upon our entrance to the grove, I'm immediately overwhelmed by both the labyrinthine feeling and the strange sound that echoes through the trees.

"What's that?" I ask, slightly tensing up on Link's back. We both glance around the towering trees as the sound continues to bellow. "It almost sounds like the wind… but not quite… It sounds more like… a horn… But who could be playing a horn all the way out here…?" Almost immediately after my question surfaces, the sound comes to an abrupt stop. A small, strange, childlike being appears in the trees above us, with a horn in hand. It blows into it, summoning more of those puppet creatures to appear before running into the next corridor of the grove. After Link dispatches the puppet creatures, we decide to follow the little guy, not knowing where he may lead us.

As we follow the imp, it continues to use that horn of his to call more puppets, which are easy to get rid of but annoying nonetheless. The imp himself is elusive, not allowing himself to be caught easily, but laughing teasingly at our attempts to catch up with him.

"Quick little guy, isn't he?" I mutter as we chase the imp through yet another thicket in the maze-like grove. "But I don't think he's trying to run away at all… In fact… I think he's trying to lead us somewhere!"

Link doesn't respond to my theory as he continues to follow the imp's strange guidance with the same tight focus that he's carried ever since Zant attacked us. I'm actually quite curious to find out what he has to say about everything that has happened once he returns to his human form. I've thought of pouring out my regrets and sadness over Zelda to him, but I've ultimately chosen against it. He already has enough to worry about without my worries.

When we finally catch up with the imp in an enclosed, seemingly inescapable area, it decides to stick around for us to fight it. Calling up more puppets, the strange imp teasingly plays it horn and simply laughs with each attack it takes. When it's finally had enough, it chuckles playfully as it disappears from the grove, opening up a new path ahead.

The next area is silent and stately, with an ancient feeling to its stone ruins. At the far end of the enclosure stand two large stone statues, which, much to our surprise, are capable of moving and speech.

"_We are the guardians of this place…" _their otherworldly voices call out to us. "_Guide us to where we once stood. Only then can you enter the true Sacred Grove…"_

Suddenly, several spaces in the ground below us disappear, leaving a uniform set of square platforms in its place. We're standing on one, and the two guardians are standing on two others, spaced equally apart. I try to decipher whatever kind of puzzle this is on my own, but I can already tell by the intense look of focus on Link's face that he's already working on it. The guardians move as Link does, but in opposite directions of each other. I watch with slight confusion and wonder as he leaps between each platform, meticulously guiding the statues to the exact spots where they were originally placed. I have to say that I'm both surprised and proud of his sudden show of ingenuity. Perhaps this whole experience has molded him from the noncompliant boy I first encountered in the woods to a focused and worthy hero. I can't help but smile, for perhaps the first time since our encounter with Zant, at the sudden realization of the change that has occurred in both of us.

Upon fitting into their original spots, the guardians speak one last time as they reveal the way to a set of stairs. "_Go now to the sacred place…" _they say as the life fades out of them. "_We yield passage to the Sacred Grove…"_

The stairs lead to what we've been looking for. The chamber is large and round, filled with a thick fog, signifying that the place has not been touched in years. The only thing in it is a lone pedestal located in the dead center of the room. And, buried deep into the pedestal, is a tall, ornate sword, glistening mystically in the sunlight spilling through the canopy of trees. Without question this impressive blade must be the Master Sword that Zelda spoke of.

We approach the sword slowly and tentatively, and I notice that with every step closer we get to it, it begins to take on a stronger, earth real glow. By the time we're inches away from it, the sword is ablaze with light that pulses so strongly and so suddenly, that the force of the invisible energy the light puts off blows us back a few feet. It knocks me off Link's back entirely, but he holds fast against the force of the wind that the sword is creating, as if it's trying to push intruders away from it. I watch with intrigue as the light from the blade seems to literally break Zant's curse on Link. Light fills the grove, momentarily blinding me, but when I regain my vision, I find that the sword has not destroyed the curse, but at the very least, it has driven it away from Link. Rather, the resurgent darkness of the curse has manifested itself into a black crystal. I can feel the strong feeling of evil that it puts off, but I know immediately that it's by far a different form of magic than any that the Twili tribe holds. The thing coalesces above my hand and I gaze at the strange relic for a moment or two before glancing back at Link.

Up until now, I haven't even noticed that he's human once more, though I should have known considering the curse is broken. I look on with wonder as he draws the Master Sword from its pedestal and holds it aloft, banishing the fog that covers the grove. I stare at him with wide-eyes, realizing just how heroic he looks with that blade in his possession.

"The sword accepted you as its master…" I say quietly. He says nothing as he brings the sword down, swinging it though the air with precise swiftness, probably getting used to how it feels. I smile slightly in spite of myself, glad that at least this problem has been fixed, though there are still countless others that need to be taken care of.

I slip back into Link's shadow for a second to appear in front of him. For a moment, I just float there and grin at him, still holding the shadow crystal above my hand. He doesn't return my smile as he looks at the ominous thing questioningly. "So…" I say casually. "That's one less thing on our to-do list, huh?"

He answers my question with one of his own. "What is that thing?" he says, still staring at the shadow crystal.

I hold it out above my finger so he can get a better look at it. "This…" I say, still grinning. "Is the embodiment of the evil magic that Zant cast on you. It's definitely then our tribe's shadow magic…" I examine the thing closely as it floats above my hand, thinking about the properties of such magic. It most likely be easy to bend to the user's will, though I'm not entirely sure how. Link just looks at the thing uneasily and tentatively puts up a hand to touch it, but I draw it back before he can.

"Careful…" I warn. "If you touch it, you'll turn back into a beast!" I clench the thing in my fist tightly. "This thing is too dangerous… Maybe it'd be best if we just left it here, huh?"

"Yeah…" he says tentatively, no doubt still unnerved by the crystal's ominous meaning and appearance.

Suddenly though, a brilliant idea comes to me. I give Link a wry grin as I explain my clever plan. "But on the other hand… if we kept it… then, you'd be able to transform into a beast anytime you wanted… Not a bad idea, huh?" My grin broadens as I finally see him returning my smile. "Yes, since Zant was kind enough to give us this little trinket, we should be grateful and use it all we can!" I give a quick laugh at the irony of it all, as does Link. Certainly, Zant couldn't have been expecting such a turn of events when he attacked us, but perhaps it's a good thing that he did. The only sour part of the whole deal is that fact that Zelda is gone, but I push the bitter thought out of my mind, forcing myself into a brighter mood. "So, if you ever need it, just call me, OK?"

"Sure Midna," Link says, giving me a slight smile.

"I want to keep a low profile though, so I'll continue to hide in your shadow when you're human," I say with a bit less levity. I have good reason to want to hide. There's a very strong chance that Zant could be out on the prowl still, and if he were to attack us again, Zelda would not be around to help us. "But," I continue. "I can change you whenever. This works out pretty well though, doesn't it? Turning into a wolf anytime you want also means you can warp anytime you want, which will certainly help with our next goal…"

"And what's that?" he says, raising an eyebrow.

I bite my lip a bit nervously. I know that at this stage, he doesn't have to help me at all. In fact, I'm not really expecting him to say yes, considering how I treated him before. He could easily just walk out of here, and return to his normal life with few consequences to anyone but me. But I know I can't do this on my own. I need his help to find the Mirror of Twilight and defeat Zant. Because now, this is about more than just breaking the curse on myself and freeing the Twilight Realm. This is about avenging Zelda, who had to give up so much because of Zant. I can't let his crimes against all of us go unpunished. Zant MUST fall.

"Well…" I start, but then I get an idea about how I want to present this request. I give him my most charismatic smile and glide in close to him, leaning against his shoulder. "Listen Link…" I say, my voice low and serious. "I… I've got a little favor to ask… Would you mind coming with me to find something called the Mirror of Twilight? I think its hidden somewhere in Hyrule…"

"What is it?" he asks, not entirely convinced by my persuasive manner.

"Well…" I say slyly. "Let's just say that it's our last remaining way to get to Zant…"

"But Midna…" Link says, frowning a bit worriedly. "Are you sure we can even fight Zant? You saw how quickly he was able to take down both of us earlier. He could have killed you if it wasn't for Princess Zel-"

I cut him off before he can say anything else on that bitter topic. I glide in front of him once more and narrow my eyes at him, staring at him piercingly. "Don't tell me…" I say darkly, but with a hit of challenge in my tone. "Is the legendary hero, chosen by the gods of Hyrule… afraid?"

He takes the ploy just like I wanted him to. "I am NOT afraid!" He says defensively, his blue eyes flashing in defiance.

"Well then…" I smile coyly, knowing that I've got him hooked yet again. "Prove it."

"I will!" he proclaims firmly.

"So in that case…" I continue to grin smartly at him, almost on the verge of breaking out into sheer laughter at his defensiveness. "You'll help me find the Mirror of Twilight?"

Link ponders this for a moment or two while I bite my lip again. There's a very good chance that he'll say no, even in spite of my challenge. But, it clearly must have worked because my heart almost leaps out of my chest with elation when he looks my straight in the eyes, gives me a warm smile of confirmation and says, "Of course I will, Midna."

I sigh in relief, knowing that Zant's imminent defeat is not far away. "Thanks Link…" I say, returning his warm smile but feeling guilty once again. "By the way…" I frown and avoid eye contact with him. "I… I… um… I'm… sorry… for, well… you know…" I stammer, trying to find the right words to say. I'm not used to apologizing. "How… I acted… um… before…"

"Its fine Midna," he says, chuckling a bit at my awkward apology.

I roll my eyes at him. "Yeah, well I don't have to admit that I was wrong often," I say sharply, not wanting to appear as too soft. "So don't get used to it!" Nonetheless, I offer him a grin and a wink before I slip back into his shadow, to show my sincerity. "Now come on! Let's get going! To the Mirror of Twilight!"

**Off to find the Mirror of Twilight we go! As you can see, even though Midna is a bit more grateful for all Link has done for her, there will still be some fun moments between the two of them! And I can't wait to write them! But here's a quick update: I won't be posting any new chapters most likely until next week or so cause I'm going to the Zelda symphony in NY this week and I am SOOOO Excited! So Until next time!**


	19. The Break

_Chapter 19: The Break_

The moment we leave the sword's chamber, fatigue finally starts to catch up with me. As I stay in Link's shadow I realize just how exhausted I am from this whole ordeal. In fact, I don't think I've slept since before Zant's takeover of the Twilight Realm, which means that I've been at this for about a week without any rest. And through all that, I'm not sure what's kept me going. Maybe it's just been my strong desire to liberate the Twilight Realm that has caused me to neglect my own personal needs, such as sleep, but now that we've reached an apparent turning point, I'm finally able to recognize the fact that I need rest, even if it's a short one. What good would I be in helping Link find the Mirror if I'm too tired to even function?

Of course, it wouldn't be hard to fall asleep right now inside of his shadow. Plus, it's not like I have any good advice to offer Link at this point, considering I'm so exhausted and the fact that quite frankly, I have no clue about where the Mirror of Twilight even is in Hyrule. Maybe some sleep would do me good, giving my mind a chance to clear from everything that's happened. Besides, I think I deserve a break, considering I nearly died earlier. And so, with a quiet yawn, I make myself comfortable within the shadows and close my eyes, expecting to get at least an hour or so of sleep…

Unfortunately, I don't even get a few minutes. After being jolted awake by a loud thud, I open my eyes to find a sight that's both humorous and unnerving at the same time. Link is laying sprawled out on the ground, still within the confines of the Sacred Grove, his eyes closed, but his face in a relaxed expression. Obviously confused by this, I glide out of his shadow to examine the situation further. At first, I fear that maybe's been attacked and wounded by a monster, but he shows no signs of battle at all. I stare at him curiously as I hover above him, wondering what in the world he's doing.

"Hey!" I call out, placing my hands on my hips. "Get up!"

He doesn't budge and I start to get nervous again, prompting me to raise my voice even louder. "Link!" I shout, hiding slight fear. "Wake up!"

"Huh?" he wakes up in slight surprise, glancing at me with wide eyes. "Midna, what's wrong?" he says groggily.

I sigh in exasperation as I finally realize what I missed while I was asleep. "Let me think about that…" I make a sarcastic, thoughtful face. "Well, first of all, you're on the ground, in case you didn't already know that."

"What?" he asks puling himself into a standing position once more. "When did that happen?"

I can't help but burst out laughing at this clear display of ignorance. "I don't know…" I lie. "You tell me. I doze off inside of your shadow for one minute, maybe two, and you pass out on me! What's the matter with you?!"

His expression is blank as I scold him, but before he can give me an answer, he lets out a large, tired yawn which finally gives me a clue about what's going on.

"Oh…" I nod in understanding as I grin slyly at him.

"What?" he raises a curious eyebrow.

I grin widens a bit as I chuckle slightly. "You're exhausted, aren't you?"

"No!" he tries to fake it, but I can clearly see through his poor ruse. I stare piercingly at him, forcing him to tell the truth. "Alright," he finally admits. "Maybe I'm a little tired. But it's fine. I can keep going."

I sigh and shake my head at his headstrong ways. "Not if you're going to keep passing out from exhaustion. It's been how long now since all of this mess started? A week? Maybe more? And how many hours of sleep have either of us had within that time?"

"It feels like I haven't had any," he frowns, as do I.

"Same here," I sigh, crossing my arms. "I have no idea how we've managed to keep going as long as we have, but clearly, we both need a break from saving the world, don't you think?"

"But Midna, what about the Mirror of Twilight that you said we needed to find?"

"I think that can't wait for at least a little while. After all, what kind of a chance would we stand against Zant if we can't even keep our eyes open?"

"You have a point," Link admits and I smile gloatingly.

"Of course I do," I say, shooting him a sly wink. "Now come on. Let's get out of here and go find a place to get some well-earned sleep."

We both decide on testing out the shadow crystal as a way to warp us out of the Sacred Grove and back to Faron Woods. The thing works just as I expected it to: the moment Link touches it, he quickly turns in a wolf again and, after we warp out of the grove, I draw it away from him and he turns back into a human. Warping out of the Sacred Grove is a breeze and when we arrive back in Faron Woods I put the crystal away, which, as I hoped, turns him back into a human once more. I grin, satisfied that my theory about the shadow crystal was dead on, as we hike through the woods. I pay little attention to what direction Link's taking us in, but instead, I just sit back for once and enjoy the ride from inside his shadow. It's then that, as tired as I am, I finally take in the scenery of the world of light instead of condemning it as I have been. And it's actually quite enjoyable. Now that I can physically feel things in the world of light, I'm able to feel the warm breeze whipping through the forest, which feels foreign to me since the air in the Twilight Realm is constantly still. Sunlight is spilling through the trees above us and though I'm in the shadows I can feel its bright warmth. The whole forest has a kind of peace to it that's different from the peaceful feeling that the Twilight Realm has. The Twilight has a calm that comes along with silence and stillness, but here in the world of light, natural noise seems to be coming from everywhere. The hidden forest creatures, the wind blowing through the tree leaves, water flowing from the spirit's spring nearby. And those noises are exactly what make it peaceful for some reason that I can't explain. But either way, I find myself swept up in it as we go and strangely enough the abundance of life and noise here relaxes me.

I'm so content that I hardly notice that we've already passed Ordona's spring and are now on our way back to the village where we got the sword and shield earlier. Of course. Link had told me that he lives there. I should have guessed that he would come here for a retreat, considering how close it is to the grove.

But we don't go all the way to the village. We stop in a clearing that upon first glance has nothing special in it until I finally take notice of what looks like a house built into the side of a tree. It doesn't stand out too much, considering its natural appearance blends into the wildlife of the forest. Its door is raised off the ground and sits on a short plateau with a ladder leading up to it and moss and other greenery adorn it naturally. The entire structure is simple, perhaps one of the most humble houses that I've ever seen, considering the fact that I grew up in a palace.

"Your house?" I ask from the shadows as Link begins to ascend the ladder.

"Yeah," he says tiredly. I know that even a few hours of rest will do him a world of good. It will do a world of good for _both _of us.

I find myself surprised for some reason when he simply opens the door without needing to unlock it. Does everyone in this village go around with their doors unlocked and windows open? Doing something like that in the Twilight Realm would be an invitation to thieves and other intruders, but it seems like the people here trust each other enough to know that something like that wouldn't happen. I can't help but think of it as quaint, as we enter the humble house.

If I thought the outside of the house complimented its surroundings, the insides do just that as well. Contrary to the place looking small on the outside, it actually has multiple levels, three if I can guess by the ladders leading up and down from the main floor. Though the actual area of the house is small, the place is neat and tidy, giving it the illusion of more space. Most of the furniture is carved from wood though some stray clay pots and cloth hangings spruce up the place a bit. A hearth with a large pot sitting inside of it, sitting atop fresh wood stands adjacent from the door, though it looks like a fire set there could easily heat the whole house. If I could some up the entire place in one word, it'd have to be… cozy…

I can't help but grin and shake my head. It's small and simple, yet warm and inviting. Not the kind of place that I'd expect the legendary hero to live, but I can tell he's glad to be there once again by the way he smiles when he first enters. As he lazily sets his sword and shield by the door, I rise from his shadow to visibly inspect the place.

"Hm," I place my hands on my hips and look up to the open upper level of the house where a bed and some other furniture sits.

"What?" Link asks warily, no doubt expecting some kind of criticism.

"Oh, nothing…" I shrug casually. "I was just thinking that this place is rather cozy. Much more cozy then where I come from anyway…"

He suddenly perks up with newfound interest as he heads over to the hearth and removes the pot to start a fire inside of it. "And where do you come from, Midna?" he asks, glancing over at me with a simple smile.

My eyes suddenly widen, though I'm not sure why. I probably should have told him that much at least… but it's still too early to reveal too much. After all, this break is to get our minds off of the impending task at hand, even if it's only for a little while.

I turn away from him and yawn casually. "Well…" I start, trying to come up with a satisfying answer. "Maybe I'll tell you when we find the Mirror of Twilight…" I finish vaguely, as I often do.

"Where is that anyway?" Link asks. "You still haven't told me."

He's right. I haven't. But I have a perfectly good reason. It's because I have no idea myself. When I first arrived in Hyrule it had not been by the Mirror, which is the gateway between our two words. Rather I was able to arrive in the Twilight covered kingdom using my own fragmented magic. I know where our side of the Mirror lies within the Twilight Realm, but I don't remember where it is in the world of light. I think I had been told once, a long time ago, but if I had, it's just a fuzzy, distant memory now.

I cross my arms and frown, but I still don't turn to face him. "I…" I bite my lip, not wanting to lie to him again and ashamed about not knowing the full truth. "I…" _Come on! _I yell at myself, frustrated. _Remember! _"I don't know!" I blurt out unwillingly, closing my eyes as if to shield myself from whatever harsh reaction I'm about to get from him.

But much to my surprise, he simply laughs. My jaw drops in shock and I finally turn around to face him, total confusion showing clearly on my face. "What's so funny?" I demand hotly.

Link stops laughing when he sees my soft glare but his light smile remains. "Oh nothing…" he says calmly as a small blaze begins to form in the hearth. "It's just that for once, you don't have all the answers."

"And who said that I did in the first place?" I frown, slightly narrowing my eyes at him.

"Well it's just that you always seem to know everything," he says with a hint of joking in his tone. "Or at least you _pretend _that you do."

"Hmph!" I cross my arms and pout dramatically, though he can tell that I'm not being entirely serious as well. "Well because most of the time I do!" He chuckles a bit at this and I small grin forms on my face. "But I really don't know where the Mirror of Twilight is. Sorry. I guess we're on our own this time."

Link takes a seat at one of the two chairs that are near the small table near the hearth. "We could always ask one of the light spirits," he suggests. "I bet they'd know."

I shrug, not wanting to be burdened with such tiring thoughts any longer. "Maybe," I say. "But that can wait until tomorrow. I'm still exhausted…" I let out another yawn to enforce my point as I notice through the small window on the upper floor that night has already fallen. Was it really just hours ago that I had been so close to death? Had Zelda still been alive hours ago as well? How things had changed over the course of one night… I shake my head to clear my bitter thoughts. Though the tragedy is still fresh in my mind doesn't mean I want to linger on it.

"Are you hungry?" Link suddenly asks out of nowhere, pulling me out of my train of thought. "I could make some quick Ordon pumpkin soup. It'll be ready before we-" he stops short when he notices my awkward expression. "What's wrong?"

"Well…" I frown, trying to figure out a way to word this so it won't sound too strange. "You see, I don't really 'eat' in the same sense that you do. My kind mostly lives off of the atmosphere of Twilight. We thrive off of it, and since we live within it, most of us do not need food like your kind needs. And luckily for me…" I hesitate, not wanting to give away the reason why I'm an exception to the rules of regular Twili. "I can go for a long time without it." I finish, though I can tell from the stupefied look of confusion on his face that he's doesn't really follow. It's fine though; I didn't really expect him to. It's not that easy to explain to a light dweller after all. "But thanks for the offer anyway." I add quickly and somewhat quieter.

"Um…OK…" he shrugs, not really caring for a further explanation, but asking a different question instead. "So what are you anyway, Midna? That's another thing you haven't told me yet."

I sigh, knowing that it's still too early for this one too. Or at least, I think it is. Quite simply, I could just tell him everything right here and right now, but so many things prevent me from doing so. And at the same time, none of my reasons really make much sense. The biggest one is based entirely around my own feelings of guilt over everything that's happened. Over all the lies and things that I've hidden from him already. If I were to just reveal everything at once, then what would that make me look like? A filthy liar, that's what. I know full well that I'm undeserving of any of the kindness that he's offered to me thus far, yet he's given it anyway. And I've done so little in return aside from basically manipulating him into doing my bidding and constantly criticizing him. So why is he still willing to help me find the Mirror of Twilight despite all of that? It's a question that I can no longer keep in and so I ask it, completely ignoring the question he proposed to me.

"Hey Link…" I start, biting my lip nervously and shyly. "Um… Why did you agree to come looking for the Mirror of Twilight with me?"

"Because you asked," he says very bluntly.

I sigh in dissatisfaction. "That's not what I mean…" I glide in closer to him. "Why did you agree to come even when I had been so hateful to you before?" As I ask him that, my mind flashes back to our first meeting and the mutual discontent that we had for one another. What's really changed since then?

He simply smiles and leans back in his chair. "I guess you've grown on me, Midna," he says with slight laughter.

I return the laugh quietly and smile warmly. "Yeah…" I admit, looking down. "I guess you've grown on me too…" Its then that I finally realize the true reason why though. He won't say it out loud, of course; he's too modest. But the real reason why he's going to trek across the entire land of Hyrule once more with me is really quite simple. It's the same reason why Princess Zelda sacrificed her very life to me without getting any personal gain from it. They're both self-sacrificing and completely selfless. Unlike me, they're not out for their own profit or gain, but rather, they both see it fit in the kindness of their hearts to help someone in need. Even if that someone had constantly ridiculed them in the past. That doesn't matter to either of them. Zelda gave her life for me simply because she saw me in need. Link agreed to come with me simply because I asked. Guilt and impurity come nowhere close to how wretched I feel.

And yet, I find myself still smiling nonetheless. Because in the midst of my terrible, cruel ways, I have one consolation. That I can only get better. At that moment I make an inner declaration to abandon my past ways of bitterness and hatefulness entirely. I want Link and Zelda to be my examples from this moment on. And I want, even if it's in the smallest way possible, to repay the debts that I owe to the Princess of Hyrule and the Hero chosen by the gods, two people who without a doubt I can easily consider to be friends.

* * *

**SORRY DEAR READERS! I know that this mostly empty chapter was so long in coming, but I just want to say that I've been super busy lately (oh and WRITER'S BLOCK!) So let me explain this mostly non cannon chapter for a moment or two. I was originally just going to have Link and Midna go on ahead and start searching for the Mirror of Twilight, but then it occurred to me that I really wanted the two of them to bond closer as friends and that they needed a break after the tough experiences that they had gone through after their encounter with Zant. So sorry if this is mostly just filler (and a LOT of description, but I plan on putting more detail in this story from here on out) and i promise that more chapters will be coming soon (i hope!) I haven't given up on this story yet, especially since we're halfway though! So I'm done rambling. until next time!**


	20. The Dreams

_Chapter 20: The Dreams_

I don't remember falling asleep. In fact, I have almost no memory of our conversation fading. But I know that I'm asleep because I have a dream. Many dreams in fact. It's not that surprising since I haven't properly slept in a week. Luckily, they don't take away from my actual rest and I don't wake up once throughout the night because of them. It's hard to say how many dreams I actually have, but there are plenty of them.

Most of my dreams are more like memories, playing themselves out in my mind. Some memories, especially of my life before I was dethroned, are bittersweet and distant, but the majority of them are very recent events, most of which had occurred during this past week. They don't really last long and are often more like glimpses of the past. Zant cursing me. My first meeting with Zelda. Traveling across Hyrule with Link in search of the Fused Shadows. And of course, our defeat at Zant's hands and Zelda's sacrifice to save me. Things I'll certainly never forget, even when everything is all said and done.

But interestingly enough, two certain dreams end up sticking out more in my mind. They're longer and much more vivid then any of the others. And instead of being memories, they're of things that I've never seen before… or at least I don't think so.

In the first dream, I find myself no longer in my impish form, but rather my normal royal appearance. I instantly smile at this revelation, but then my attention turns to where I'm at. I'm standing alone on a stone platform in the center of a wide, circular open air atrium. Above me is an orange, sunset colored sky and six towering spires, each boasting a different symbol. The air is extremely hot and dry here, but a slight breeze offers some relief. What fascinates me though is the fact that the wind carries something on it: sand. Almost as if this empty place was set within… a desert maybe?

Suddenly the ground beneath me starts to quake. I spin around to find something rising up out of the platform I'm on just a few feet in front of me. A circular round slab of stone appears, set in an ornate holder. At first the front of the slab is dark and plain, but as I place a curious hand on its smooth surface it slowly starts to glow. Ornate white patterns begin to draw themselves among the reflective surface of the slab until a familiar design fully takes shape on the stone. And its then I realize what is standing right in front of me.

"The Mirror of Twilight!" I gasp in wonder, drawing my hand away from the stone. I can tell since I've seen the exact design within the Twilight Realm before. I smile as I look over its reflective surface as I realize that wherever this chamber is, it's in a desert somewhere. Could this be a hint maybe? About where we're supposed to go look for it? I tentatively place my hand against the mirror once more, but suddenly, a large, four-way crack forms on its face. I quickly take my hand away and my eyes grow wide with worry and fear. The crack grows larger until its encompassing the entire thing almost and then, entirely without warning, the mirror shatters and the dream abruptly ends, sending me into another one entirely.

I once again find myself with my impish body, but at the moment, it's the least of my worries. I'm floating in a large hall with a high ceiling. Pillars reduced to little more than rubble line the sides of the hall and a large entryway along with many windows along the walls provide glimpses of the violent thunderstorm raging outside. The atmosphere here is thick and dark, as if some hidden evil is looming in the shadows. As I look across the room, something at my feet briefly catches my attention. But nothing can prepare me for what I seen when I fully look down to the crumpled figure lying on the bloodstained stairs at my feet.

"Link!" I scream in raw shock and terror. I immediately lower myself down to his level and kneel down beside his unmoving form, inspecting his many injuries. While he's covered in many smaller cuts, two stand out to me in particular. His left arm, which I know to be his sword arm, bears a great gash down it, bleeding profusely. But what's even worse is the fatal wound on the left side of his chest, extremely close to his heart. My eyes are wide with panic as I place my hand gently on his cold, pained face, trying to get him to open his shut eyes. "Link!" I shout in desperation, though the awful, heart-wrenching realization is already dawning on me. "Wake up! Please!" I can't control myself when I begin to sob as he gives me no response at all. I don't even have to look to know that he's not breathing. A million emotions run through me at once as my mind races for answers. When did this happen? What could have done this to him? Why was I too late to help him?

Suddenly a cold, wicked, bone-chilling laugh quietly surfaces behind me. Slowly, I pull my teary gaze away from the fallen hero to look for the source of it. But all I find is a large ornate throne standing a few feet behind me. And sitting on that throne, in a lazy, almost sleep like slump is…

"Princess Zelda!" I shout in awe and slight worry. Her eyes are shut, but unlike Link, she appears to have no physical injury. She could easily just be sleeping, but the prickling worry and dread inside of me tells me otherwise. Taking one last painful glimpse at Link, I cautiously glide over to her and examine her face. "Zelda?" I say, my voice barely over a whisper as tears still fall from my eyes. I put my hand against her cheek as softly as I can but the moment I do so, she quickly stirs. I sweep back in surprise as I watch her jolt upright and open her eyes. She doesn't look at me, at Link or at anything else. Her blue eyes are cold and vacant and her expression is completely blank. Her mouth falls slightly agape for a moment or two, as if she's surprised at something, until she starts to sway forward. Zelda quickly slips full off of the throne and onto the floor and it's at that moment that I see the dagger plunged into the center of an ugly red wound on her back. I gasp and scream in horror as she does not move again.

My heart shatters much like the Mirror of Twilight did in my last dream as I look between the two of them. Both unmoving. Both dead. The two people who deserved it the least in the entire world. But why? Who would dare to do such a wicked, treacherous thing?

As if to answer my unasked question, a, large, wild, raging ball of flame forms near the large entryway of the wall. My eyes widen with fear as I look upon it. It has no form or reason, but I can immediately sense great evil emanating from its hateful red glow and I know without a doubt that this _thing, _whatever it is, is the cause of the senseless carnage that lies before me. And I want to utterly and completely destroy it. I want to, but I am frozen in place with fear.

A large, deep roar echoes throughout the hall, bouncing off of the walls like the thunder outside. My heart begins to pound rapidly as I stare at the flames with huge eyes. And I remain completely still as the ball of fire begins to rush at me. I don't move. I don't breathe. I don't think. I am this thing's next target, and there is absolutely nothing I can do. And, seeing the two cold bodies on either side of me, I don't really want to do anything. I resign myself to whatever awful fate that I'm about to receive, even as I feel the malevolent flames quickly bearing down upon me until…

My eyes flash open and I'm blinded by light even though I know that I had fallen asleep within the shadows and I'm still within them. For some reason, even though I'm clearly awake, my heart is still racing just like it had been in my dream…

_In my dream!_ I think, relief washing over me as I finally calm down. I glance around at my surroundings to find that I'm in the same place that I had fallen asleep in. I can see from the light the beams down from the high window that it's at least late morning, if not early afternoon. Had we really rested that long? However long it was though and despite my frightful dream, I do feel fully refreshed and ready to get back out there to look for the Mirror of Twilight.

I gasp in realization as I remember the first of my two vivid dreams. _The Mirror of Twilight! _I think rapidly. _It looked like it was in a desert somewhere! But, is there even a desert in Hyrule?_

I frown, not remembering any place that looked remotely like a desert during our travels across the kingdom to look for the Fused Shadows. But this small lead is the only thing that we have to go off of for the moment and its better than nothing.

I glance around the house once more for Link, but when I don't find him anywhere inside, a small inkling of fear sparks within me. Of course, I know that there's almost no chance that he's in danger at the moment, but what I saw in my dream, or nightmare rather, has made me wary and tense.

Suddenly, amidst the sounds of the forest that can be clearly heard even indoors, I'm able to make out the sounds of a horse contentedly whickering just outside. I smile softly and chuckle to myself as I stay inside the natural shadows and shift to the shadows outside the house. As I suspected, Link is out there, tending to his horse that somehow managed to find its way back here. I take my usual place within his shadow once more and decide let him be for a moment or two before coming out of it. While I'm there I watch him closely as he gently strokes the grazing horse's mane. His face looks peaceful and well-rested, content even upon first glance, but as I peer into it again I see the slight sadness in his eyes. My curiosity gets the better of me and I call out from the shadows, not bothering to rise from them.

"What's with the long face?" I ask with a bit of humor to try and get him to smile.

"It's nothing…" he mutters, unphased by my playful manner.

I shrug within the shadows. "Fine with me," I say, pretending not to care about his lack of an answer. "It's none of my business anyway."

He sighs, obviously knowing that he can't hide anything from me. "It's just…" he starts anxiously and wistfully. "Ilia always used to take care of Epona for me." I can't help but roll my eyes good-naturedly as he says it. Of course, his mind is still on that girl, who can't even remember his name at the moment. "You know it's kind of funny…" he finally smiles faintly, though I can tell he's still sad. "Right before the village was attacked, she got really mad at me because she thought that I had hurt Epona jumping fences. I think Epona misses her now though…"

"I bet she's not the only one…" I say a bit teasingly.

Link's soft smile widens to a full grin. "Be quiet," he says laughingly, finally drawn out of his previous melancholy.

I chuckle brightly as I finally emerge from his shadow and let the forest's warm late morning light bear down on me. "I have some good news…" I grin, putting my hands behind my back and rocking back and forth playfully in mid air.

"Oh yeah?" he asks casually, looking towards me. "What is it?"

I close my eyes proudly. "I know where the Mirror of Twilight is," I say happily. "I saw it in a dream last night."

"Really?" he says with genuine interest. "Where is it?"

"Well that's the thing…" I say sheepishly, though I'm still smiling. "I think it was in a desert somewhere, but I don't even know about any deserts in Hyrule, do you?"

He nods and its then that I realized that I should have guessed that he would know where the desert is in Hyrule considering he lives in the world of light, unlike me. "I heard once that there's a huge desert to the west of Lake Hylia. But most people say that it's just a huge wasteland…"

"Well it's our only lead!" I proclaim vigorously. "We have to at least check!" As I say this, a bitter thought enters my mind though: _I'm sure Zelda would have known where the Mirror is… _I look to the ground for a moment, suddenly debating on whether or not I should even tell Link about my awful nightmare. I don't really see the need to, as it would probably only trouble him as it has me. So, I decide to forget about it for now. Besides, we need to start getting our focus on the task at hand: finding the Mirror of Twilight!

"So," I say, crossing my arms and smirking slightly. "Ready to go look for it?"

He doesn't hesitate for a moment as he smiles and nods. "Yes," he replies, as he starts to mount his horse.

"Great!" I exclaim brightly as I slip back into the shadows. "Let's be off then!"

Without further discussion, we depart from the area, following little more than a hunch that I can only hope is correct.

As we leave the forest and emerge into the vast fields of Hyrule once again, I can't help but let my mind drift back to my nightmare. Every tiny detail of it seemed too real. From the crash of the thunder outside of the windows of the hall, to the heat emanating from that treacherous and ominous ball of flame. Yet the very worst of it was seeing both Link and Zelda suffering before my very eyes and knowing that I had been too late to even try to help them. I shudder as I think of it now. But I'm bothered by the fact that aside from my dream about the Mirror of Twilight, this dream was the only one that I can remember with most accuracy now that I'm awake. When I dreamt about the Mirror, it had clearly been a reminder of the knowledge of its location. A hint of sorts. But this other dream… what could its meaning be? I highly doubt that it was just a simple nightmare. It was too vivid to even come close. It seemed more like a warning, or maybe even a premonition.

_That must be it… _I think, though my heart sinks with dread as I do. If it was in fact a vision of future events, then they must be destined to come true in one way or another… My breathing hitches as I begin to fear the worst for Link and Zelda. I've already seen the princess vanish away once because of; I don't want to see it again if I'm too slow to try and help her. As for Link… I try to make myself push the image of his bloodied body that was in my dream out of my mind, but I can't, no matter how hard I try. The very thought of something like that happening to him… it almost pushes me over the edge. It's kind of hard to believe that I'm suddenly so protective of him, considering how, a little less than a week ago, I couldn't have cared less about whether he lived or died.

Before we fully arrive at the desert's entrance, Link dismounts the horse and opts to walk for the rest of the way, most likely so the horse won't have to tread on the hot sand. I can tell that we're close to something, as the air has gotten dryer and warmer at a rapid degree. "I think we're almost there…" he says to me, breaking me out of my train of thought.

"Huh?" I say absentmindedly. "Oh… yeah…"

I glance up at him and I can tell that he wants to question why I'm not making further comment, but he doesn't and just keeps going. In the meantime, my mind is still swimming in deep thought. If my nightmare, or vision, or whatever it is, is to come true sometime soon, then there's a very real chance that Link could die sometime soon. And as much as I hate to even think it, I know that I have no idea when it could happen or even by whose hands it would be. But if it does come to pass, then I realize that we might not have too much time left before it does. _No… _I shake my head to try and clear my racing, frustrating thoughts. _He'll be fine… He can take on whatever it is that gets in his way… I've seen him do it before and I know that he can do it again…_ But even after trying to raise my confidence in him, I know that I would feel incredible regret if something were to really happen to him. Regret over all of the things that I haven't told him and all of the lies that I have. And, as we finally cross onto the hot, sandy dunes of the expansive desert of Hyrule, about to cross the threshold into the next leg of our journey, I think it's finally time that I tell him a shred of truth, even if it's not much.

"Link, wait…" I say as I rise from the shadows behind him before he can even take another step.

He turns to face me as I float beside him, guilt clearly showing on my face. "Midna, what's wrong?" he asks with concern.

I take in a deep breath and look away from him, closing my eyes and putting my hands behind my back. "Before we go on, there's something I want you to hear…"

"What is it?" he asks.

I open my eyes and gaze forward, where I can vaguely see six tall pillars rising miles away in the distance. They look quite similar to the ones that I saw in my dream, but I don't acknowledge that now. "Do you remember what the light spirit said about the Fused Shadows?" I ask with more seriousness then I normally use. "What do you think happened to the magic wielders who tried to rule the Sacred Realm?"

As I expected, he doesn't respond. I sigh and look down somewhat sadly as I go on. "They were banished," I say, looking towards the pillars. "They were chased across the sacred lands of Hyrule and driven into another realm by the goddesses. It was another world entirely… The antithesis of Hyrule, where the sun shines bright. Its denizens became as shadows that could not mingle with the light." I briefly recall what Zant had said about our kind not being able to interact with beings of light. How strange it is to think that I went to such great lengths to defy that claim in hopes of saving my realm. Nonetheless, I go on. "Eventually, most came to call it the Twilight Realm, and from it, none could return to the realm of light…" I say with some sorrow over the tragic history of my tribe. "They were forever doomed to live in the Twilight, flitting in the half-light of dusk, mere shadows of Hyrule… This is the history of the Twili as it has been passed down from our ancestors…" I look down to the shifting sands below me and take another deep breath in. "Link… you asked me where I came from, so… do you understand now what I am?" I ask with a little edge in my voice, and he looks at me with slight worry, but from what I can tell, he clearly understands everything I'm telling him.

Suddenly, as I momentarily pause and reflect on everything I've just told him myself, I can't help but feel a small amount of resentment for the many trials that have befallen, and are still happening to my people. We never seem to get a break; we didn't back then and now that Zant has taken tyrannical control over the Twilight Realm, things seem to be even worse for us Twili. And I decide to let this bitterness flow out as I answer my own question. "I'm a descendant of the tribe that was banished to the Twilight Realm!" I hiss though gritted teeth, clenching my fists tightly and glaring hatefully at the pillars in the distance.

"Midna?" Link asks with concern, but I ignore him, taking in a deep breath to expel my anger without violence.

"It was a peaceful place…" I say, reminding myself of better times as I close my eyes tightly. "Until Zant took control of the Twilight Realm and transformed all of the Twili into shadow beasts." I can feel rage building up inside of my chest once again, but this time I control it better. "It's clear to me now that he somehow gained a great evil power previously unknown to our tribe…" I muse, thinking back to what Zant had said about the powers that his 'god' has supplied to him. Whatever it is, it has given him the power to subdue my people entirely and curse me into this form. And I know that to too, along with Zant, must be put to a stop. "In any case," I continue. "I found my way here and I can no longer get into the Twilight Realm without his power." I frown, knowing this fact to be all too true. My powers are too weak to return me home. But not all hope is lost, as I had known since I left the Twilight Realm.

"But there's another tale told by my people…" I say, my voice lighter and less tense. "Though the goddesses forbade us to return to return to the world of light, they left one link between the light and darkness. Something called the Mirror of Twilight was passed down to the protectors of Hyrule…"

Link says nothing as he watches me glide right in front of him. "It's our only path to the Twilight Realm…" I say with resolve. "And we must get there!" Before I finish, I look up at his face to see the warm smile that he's giving me. I bite my lip, unable to push that haunting dream out of my mind. I remember the twisted expression of great pain and turmoil that he had as he lay there on those steps, already dead. How cold and unmoving his face was as I touched it as gingerly as I could. Yet as I look at him now, his blue eyes are full of life, gladly contradicting what only existed within the world of dreams. Even if it was a vision of things to come, for the moment, he's alive and well and that's good enough for me. I find myself forming the same kind of smile that he's giving me and I slowly reach a hand up and place it against his cheek. And as I suspected, it's calmingly warm. He shows no surprise that I did this, but he simply continues to look at me with his kind expression.

"You'll come with me…" I finally say, my voice quiet yet calm. "Won't you, Link?"

His smile seems to grow even wider and warmer than it already is as I slowly draw my hand from his cheek. That, really is all the confirmation that I need, but he says it aloud anyway. "Of course I will, Midna. I promise."

* * *

**Sorry that was so long... and mostly non cannon except for the ending there... heheheh... so I decided to change a few things in this chap from how they actually happen in the game and i want to explain. So first of all are the two dreams that Midna has at the beginning of this chapter. I added the first one in because i didn't want her and Link going all across Hyrule on a wild goose chase for the Mirror of Twilight cause that would have been BORING! and how it happens in the game I don't find too incredibly interesting. The second dream i put in because I felt like this story needed more drama (and perhaps a smidgen more realistic violence, but don't worry, it won't be too gory in later chapters. plus, I'm upping this to T because of that, so yeah...) the dream is kind of like a foreshadowing sort of thing (yeah i know that neither Link or Zelda get killed in the game), but its kind of a forewarning that will serve as a HUGE motivation for midna in a much later chapter. Also, I changed the method in which Link and Midna travel to Gerudo Desert because I always found the canon travel thing to be stupid (and i am facepalming that I'll have to write about that when we get to the City in the Sky chap) -_-... anyway... sorry for my longwinded blabberings. But before I go, please send me reviews people! I absolutely adore any kind of feedback whatsoever! So until next time!**


	21. The Desert

_Chapter 21: The Desert_

We start our trek across the vast desert, crossing the sand dunes towards the direction of the pillars in the distance: the only sign of anything in this barren wasteland. The red late afternoon sun bears down hot and heavy on the already burning sand. And unlike the warm, comfortable glow that it gave in the woods, its heat is almost unbearable here. There's a lack of shadows here due to the bright sunshine, only leaving me with Link's shadow to find some relief in. And even there, the burning sun in devastating. No wonder the Mirror of Twilight was hidden here in the desert; only someone who is either deliberately seeking it or who has little regard for their own life would choose to travel here.

Yet even the oppressive conditions do little to discourage monsters from thriving here. During our travels through the first half of the desert we encounter small worm-like creatures that randomly pop out from under the sand. Luckily, they're ignorant things and easy to avoid, making our first few hours in the desert mostly uneventful. As we go, a tentative silence lingers between the two of us and in them, I finally let my mind stray away from thinking about much of anything. I simply watch lazily from the shadows as we go, unwillingly soaking up the dry desert heat and hoping that the sun's slow descent will eventually offer some relief.

And by the time the sun finally sets over the hills to our backs, we've gotten quite close to the pillars and can finally make out the imposing, ancient structure that they surround. Through the diminishing rays of sunlight, I can see that the place is slightly sunken into the ground, but behind it sets a circular atrium-like structure, quite similar to the place that had been in my dream. Or course, I won't know for sure until we actually go inside of it, which may end up being more difficult than it sounds considering the camp of monsters that has been set up not too far from its entrance.

The glow of their camp fires can be easily seen in the approaching darkness of night, however the entire portion of the desert where the entrance to the structure lies is blocked off by a row of high fences that would be most likely impossible to simply climb over. We come to a stop a subtle distance away from them, so the horde of monsters will not spot us just yet, as we try to devise a plan for getting past them.

"Well this is annoying…" I sigh as I rise from Link's shadow to better examine the situation. "These little pests just don't know when to quit, do they?"

He looks over the layout ahead of us for a moment before responding and I can easily tell that he's trying to formulate a solution by that look of stern focus that he always gets when confronted with a problem. I patiently wait for as he does so, until he sighs, defeated, clearly finding no good ideas. "Those fences are too high," he frowns, stating what I had already known from the moment I saw them. "If only I had brought Epona. She'd be able to clear them easily."

As he says this, my gaze drifts off to the left where, standing right beside the gate, is a pack of large, horned beasts equipped with simple saddles, clearly meant for riding. Obviously these things are how the monsters must get around, but a clever idea comes to mind as I examine them. "Or…" I say grinning as I slowly glide in their direction. "We could always just use one of these guys… I'm sure they'll be able to do the trick just as well…"

Link returns my smile as he walks over quietly, as not to arouse the suspicion of the monsters standing nearby. "Good idea," he whispers as I slip back into his shadow. From there, I watch, hoping that my hunch is correct, as he carefully mounts one of the beasts. Luckily the ignorant beast doesn't seem startled at its unfamiliar rider and it lets Link point it to face the direction of the fences. However, the moment he gives the creature a starting kick to the sides, it suddenly panics, rising up on its hind legs for a second as Link holds onto the saddle for dear life, before barreling uncontrollably towards the fences. I have to glide along in the shadows at a feverish pace just to keep up alongside the beast as it simply charges head first through the wooden fences, not even attempting to leap over them. But it does achieve its purpose; its large body and quick force completely knocks down the fences, as I had hoped it would.

By now, the beast's thunderous charges have alerted the entire camp to our presence. But the beast does not discriminate. It dashes along a winding path, going whichever way it pleases, and eliminating anything in its path, be it fences or monsters. I glance up from the shadows, trying to see if Link has gained any control over the beast, but obviously he hasn't considering that he's just trying to keep a steady hold on the saddle so he can stay on. I can't help but let out a loud and wild laugh as I see this, considering the startled look of panic on his face. I'm drowned out however, by both the sounds of the beast's hooves and another sound entirely: the cries of war of the monsters from somewhere above us. I quickly snap my head in the direction of the sounds to see a few watchtowers, guarded by monsters that are equipped with bows and flame-tipped arrows. The only ones slightly safe from the beast's rampage. Already they're taking steady aim with their potentially deadly ammo, pointing them towards the beast as it barrels forwards. Or rather, the obvious intruder into their fortress who's desperately clinging to the beast's back.

I take in a sudden sharp gasp when I see this. "Link, watch out!" I shout from the shadows, though I am clearly drowned out by all of the commotion. From the monsters' high vantage point, they have a clear shot at him, since he'd be able to do little to block their attacks since his focus is caught up by remaining on the beast's back. Knowing that he won't hear my warnings, I can do little but hope that the archers miss their target by some rare chance…

But my hopes are dashed only a second later as I watch one of their fiery arrows sail through the air and hits Link's right shoulder blade, the rushing wind luckily dousing the flames but burring itself deep. I immediately panic as I hear his painful cry, but again, there's absolutely nothing I can do but watch in horror as he blindly reaches a hand up to take the arrow out, but quickly losing his grip on the saddle of the beast before being thrown from its back altogether, the beast continuing to rampage until it's out of sight. I watch in frozen fear as Link lands hard on the ground, sounds of agony escaping from him.

My eyes begrudgingly move away from him as he lies there, trying to rise in all his pain, to the monsters, still standing proudly on their perches, ready to send even more burning arrows his way. Anger and hatred towards them suddenly swells within me as I hear their teasing rouge chuckles. How dare they mock him like that! Unable to stay still any longer, I set myself into motion without thinking. I separate myself from the shadows so that they can plainly see me as I glare at them harshly, setting myself between them and Link.

"Hey!" I shout at the creatures hatefully. "Leave him alone!"

The monsters pause for a moment upon hearing my fierce proclamation then suddenly, they break out into raucous gales of laughter. I growl wickedly at them, letting my extreme rage and determination show on my face. However, their foolish giggles are cut short as each one meets their end with arrows that come from behind me flying into their throats. In turn, they each fall off of their respective pedestals and vanish away, defeated. I turn around to see Link, yielding his bow, not standing but positioned on one knee, his face awash with both anger and pain. For a moment, I just stay still, staring at him in slight awe as I realize how heroic he looks, until my senses return to me.

"Oh!" I gasp, quickly gliding behind him too see the arrow still lodged into the back of his shoulder. My suddenly frantic mind turns back to my dark dream upon seeing crimson blood pouring from the wound that it's made, but I quickly force the thought out of my mind. "Um, should I try to get this out for you?"

He doesn't turn his head to look at me but simply nods amidst his short, pained breathing. I nervously bite my lip and grasp the arrow shaft with my small hands, giving it a small, quick tug. But the moment I do so, he cries out in agony, collapsing to his hands and knees. My hands fly away from the arrow as my eyes widen in surprise and compassion. "I'm sorry!" I say shakily, knowing that it won't be easy to get out since it's buried past the arrow head.

"No…" he says after a moment of recovery. His tone is much harsher than I expected it to be, but his words are slightly slurred due to the pain he's clearly in. "Do it…Get it…out…"

"But Link… I-"

He cuts me short and almost shouts in desperation, "Do it!"

I take in a deep breath, realizing that he must be right. Keeping that arrow buried into his flesh would be more agonizing then getting it out. So once more, I grab the shaft and watch as he braces himself for the impending pain. To reduce his suffering, I yank up on it with as much quick force as I can muster, taking less than a second to draw out the bloodied arrow out completely. But as I do so, he can't help but let out a sharp, loud cry of misery, one that's so thick with distress that it tugs at my heart and almost brings me to tears.

With quivering hands, I quickly toss the arrow aside, not wanting to stare at its scarlet painted tip. I float in silence by Link's side as I watch him try to chase away the lingering pain from the experience. Of course, I've seen him take a hit before during our previous travels, but never one as deep and scarring as this one. Seeing him in such a poor condition has unnerved me, almost as much as my dream did and so I decide to not push him on any further until he feels like he's recovered enough to go. But I know that this could take quite awhile, especially out here in the barren desert. Luckily, the monsters seemed to have fled from the camp, leaving the rest of the path to the stone structure wide open.

As I look in the direction of the structure and its foreboding presence, I hear Link's heavy breathing gradually become more even and calm. I glance his way to find that he's now sitting on the sand, taking the cork off of a small bottle full of some kind of red liquid. I eye it curiously as he puts the bottle to his mouth and drinks the whole thing, giving a relieved sigh when he's done. Putting the bottle away, he rises to his feet and looks at me, his face calm and free of any traces of pain. I don't hide my clear confusion and curiosity as I try to figure out how he drove the pain away.

"It was healing potion," he explains, answering my unvoiced question. "I picked some up this morning before we left the village."

"So…" I say wonderingly. "That stuffed healed you?"

He nods. "Mostly. Take a look."

He motions to his shoulder blade and I glide behind him once again to see that the once bleeding wound is now only an ugly scar amidst dried blood and torn cloth. Not gone, but at the very least healed.

I finally find myself smiling in relief. I have to say that I'm quite surprised at how resourceful he is, a fact I already knew from our previous travels, but it's all the more reinforced to me now. Gathering our bearings once more, we press on towards the direction of the now very near structure, preparing ourselves for whatever may lie within its depths.

As the full moon lights up the once again calm desert sands, my mind swims in various thoughts. I remember how quick I was to blindly throw myself between Link and those monsters, to keep them from hurting him anymore and I'm reminded of how he had carelessly tossed himself between Zant's dark attack and me. Perhaps I'm already starting to repay my debt to him, and I haven't even noticed. The thought fills me with lasting warmth, as does another one entirely. The fact that just beyond this structure hopefully lies the Mirror of Twilight, the gateway that will return me to the Twilight Realm once again. To my kingdom. My home. How I've missed its familiarity and soothing comfort. It's rare and subtle beauty. Things my heart has pined for since I left it more than a week ago. Yet at the same time, I'd be lying if I were to say that I haven't grown attached to the world of light at least in some ways. The numerous sensations that this world's constantly changing landscape cause bring exhilaration with each new one I experience. And that's not the only reason why I've taken a liking to this world.

Though when I had first arrived in the world of light, I thought that its main race, the humans, were fools, unable to discern who wanted to help them and who wanted to hurt them. Yet as I've come to know a few of them these past few days, namely Link and Zelda, I have discovered that humans are not as empty headed as I had first believed them to be. They are a resourceful, often times clever and intelligent. Yet at the same time they are plagued by problems and they are not afraid to admit when they need help if they can't handle them on their own. They develop a sense of community and form bonds and opinions that aren't too incredibly different from the kinds that my own people form. Yes, the Twili and the humans may look little like each other and they may come from opposite ends of the light-dark spectrum, but the more time I spend in this world, with the beings of light, I think I'm slowly starting to understand something important.

Maybe the worlds of light and Twilight aren't that different after all.

* * *

**So I think that this chapter was kind of empty, but you can be the judge of that. I didn't really feel like fitting the Arbiter's grounds in here just yet, but in the next chap, i'll probably make it both that and the sages appearance and it will be most likely very long :O So anyway, not much else to say, until next time!**


	22. The Hope

_Chapter 22: The Hope_

The inside of the structure is just as imposing as its outside, if not more so. It's quite a dark place, the little light coming from sparse torches here and there. As would be expected, sand pits are everywhere, but in here, it appears to be quicksand, adding a whole new level of danger to the monsters that already litter the dark halls. The whole place is mysterious and eerie as can be, not to mention the fact that it smells like death and decay, as if something had been buried here for quite a while.

After crossing a collection of harrowing raised platforms and crossing over to the opposite of the large first room, Link glances down and addresses me as we go on. "Midna," he says, watching as I rise from his shadow to float alongside him.

"Yeah?" I ask, glancing around casually.

"I think this place is a prison," he says, cautiously placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"Why do you say that?" I ask.

"Well, haven't you noticed the chains?" he says, and quite frankly I'd have to say that I haven't. "Or the bones?"

I shake my head but shrug, not really seeing why it matters. "No, but if you say so…" I yawn. "So what, do you think this place is _haunted_?" I ask dramatically, smirking at him.

"Well, no," he says, returning my grin and rolling his eyes at me. "But if it was, then I guess we'd be fighting ghosts."

I shrug again and snicker casually. "We've fought stranger," I say and it's true; we've fought things much stranger and more menacing than ghosts.

Almost immediately after I say it though, we stumble across a large, unlocked door surrounded by a set of four blue-flame lit torches, which must lead to wherever the Mirror of Twilight is. But before we can even open it, a strange noise echoes throughout the silent hall. We both turn to see something truly ironic; four tall, transparent, otherworldly beings that can only be described as ghosts appear floating over each of the four torches. They use the lanterns they wield to steal the blue fire from each one and suddenly bars fall down over the door in front of us, barring our progress. Three of the ghosts then take off in different directions, seeping through walls in trying to escape the room. The remaining ghost does not leave but simply taunts us with its lantern by waving it up and down.

"Well that's annoying," I scoff, frowning. "Go after that thing first and then track down the rest of them! Otherwise we won't be getting through here."

"But Midna," he says hesitantly. "I can't see it."

I give him a curious look. "What do you mean you can't see it?!" I exclaim, gliding towards it. "It's right here! If I can see it, so can you!"

"But I can't!" he says, clearly getting exasperated with me.

I glare at him for a moment, but then an idea comes to me. Maybe he can't see it because of his simple human senses. Well, if that's the case, then we happen to have just the solution for that.

I give him a wicked grin as I glide close to him once more. "Well don't worry!" I say brightly. "I can fix that!"

He has no time to question what I mean by this as I immediately touch the shadow crystal against his forehead, instantly transforming him into a wolf without warning. I plop down on his back and give him a sly smile, which he answers with an angry growl.

"Ok, ok…" I say laughingly. "Maybe I should have given you a little warning… But at least now you can see that ghost now too, right?"

His tail twitches and no more than a second later he lunges for the ghost, attacking it viscously. After a few moments of this, the ghostly being dissipates, its lantern clattering to the floor and breaking, releasing the blue flame back into its torch. I grin broadly as I slowly draw the shadow crystal away, turning him back into a human once more.

I back away giggling as he glares at me. "If you're going to do that again," he starts, still clearly frustrated with me. "Please let me know."

I let out another short series of laughs before indulging him. "Alright," I say, grinning. "I guess that sounds fair enough."

After that, we start our search through the next couple of rooms for any signs of more ghosts. The themes of quicksand and undead creatures continue throughout the large, thick-aired, musty rooms as we go. Whenever we happen across a ghost, I do respect Link's wishes and wait for him to _ask _for me to turn him into a wolf instead of outright doing it, though the latter would be much more fun. Our sweep of the area proves rather successful and by the time we make it back to the central room, we have all four torches lit and an unlocked door to show for it.

We go through several more trap-filled rooms in relative silence, and in it, I notice that Link's tense focus is back so I simply relax and let him do his work. At one point, we come across a large, circular room that at first glance appears to be a dead end. At the center of the room, a huge sword, twice as large as Link, is stabbed into the ground, a series of ancient ropes attached to it. We examine it with curiously and after a moment or two, that curiosity gets the better of me. I use a small bit of magic to break one of the ropes, which proves to be a huge mistake because all at once all of the ropes burn and another ghostly creature, far more menacing than the last few, appears and draws the large sword from the ground.

"Sorry!" I call out apologetically to Link as we both narrowly dodge one of the ghost's wide swipes.

He doesn't answer as he leaps for the creature, bashing it with his blade. I stay back and watch the battle with apt attention. After a few moments though, I notice that Link isn't trying to attack the ghost anymore, instead following the movements of its sword carefully and I wonder if he can actually see it or not. I'm about to glide in and ask him if he wants me to turn him into a wolf, but suddenly I notice that the ghost is about to bring its huge blade down right on him, giving him little time to move out of its range completely. My eyes widen and without thinking, I contort my hair into a huge hand and stretch it over, grabbing a strong hold on the sword. I struggle with the creature to hold onto it, but in the end I take it right out of its hands and toss it aside entirely. Without its big fancy sword, the ghost apparently becomes clearly visible to Link because he doesn't hesitate to slash away at it. I strategically pick of the ghost's sword by its handle and though it's heavy, I take a nice long swing at the ghost, damaging it enough to make it vanish away, screaming in defeat.

I drop the monster's sword and let out a breath of exertion. Who knew battle could be so tiring? But I have to admit it was kind of exciting. Maybe I'll start joining in the fights more often. After all, I'm sure Link could use the extra help.

"Thanks for that," he nods in gratitude as we both head over to see the prize that the ghost left in its wake.

"Its fine," I wave my hand and smile at him. "It was actually kind of fun. I think I'll have to start helping you more often from now on!"

We both share a laugh and then see that the creature left behind a rather large mechanical, top-like device that spins. It's kind of strange actually and I can't really figure out a good use for the thing, but Link insists that we take it anyway. I roll my eyes at the suggestion but I decide to be helpful and propose that I use magic to store it away within the same space that I stored the Fused Shadows when we still had them. He agrees and we press on in the opposite direction, looking for some way out of here and a path to the Mirror of Twilight.

After what feels like hours within the endless structure, we finally seem to find that path. We enter into a large, tall circular chamber with a circular platform in the center and a huge, immaculate door on the other side. Railing seems to line the sides of walls and the platform, though I have no idea what its use could be. But the way to the mirror seems clear. I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling that it's on the other side of that door.

As we head across the circular platform however, it suddenly starts to sink towards the floor and quickly. I urge Link to hurry and make it to the large door, but it's too late, we can only stand there in frustration as the platform vanishes into the sand at the bottom of the pit, leaving us standing before a large, skeletal fossil, which looks like its cracking to pieces. We both stare at it for a moment until a lone, familiar voice calls out through the silence. "So, you still live… How astonishing."

Both of us let out a collective gasp, though mine is much louder and more fearful than his. Without a second thought, I'm hiding in the shadows once more, my eyes wide and terrified as I look all over for him. It can't be… How did he find us again? This is perhaps the worst possible time. After all, we were _so _close to the Mirror of Twilight! If he plans on attacking us now… there will be no Princess Zelda to help us this time. He could easily kill both of us, right here and now and there would be no stopping him. I can only hope for a miracle.

I bite my lip but remain completely silent as Zant finally materializes in front of Link. I clench my fists tight, but I do not emerge from the shadows, knowing that would be a huge mistake. No, instead I simple remain there, my heart pounding inside my chest as I pray for that miracle. "No wonder some call you 'hero'" Zant scoffs, already assured of his victory. "But this is truly a bittersweet reunion… Truly! For I fear that this is the last time I will see you alive!" Zant lets out a short, wicked chuckle and I begin to fear for the worst when a huge, dark blade appears out of nowhere from behind him. I want to urge Link to run with all my being, but I am frozen in place as I keep my eyes glued to every movement the usurper king makes. Much to my shock though, he doesn't send the fatal blade in our direction, but instead, plunges it into the head of the fossil in front of us, letting out another cackle as he thankfully disappears from sight.

I finally let the breath I had been holding in out, but at the same time, I'm still bothered by Zant's motives. If that was all he was going to do, then why even show up at all? He didn't even try to attack us at all, so what was the point? No more than a minute late my questions are answered though as the fossil suddenly starts to quake. Its hallow eyes start glowing an eerie shade of red and before we know it, the creature is fully mobile, already thrashing its arms around in an attempt to attack us.

I'm still in a numb shock and slight confusion as Link tries to attack the thing. Zant would have been able to easily kill us now, especially since Zelda is no longer around. But all he did was sick this pile of bones upon us? That seems kind of pathetic, even for Zant. Perhaps fighting him won't be too difficult after all… At the same time though, I finally scold myself for my cowardice. I was about to just sit there in the shadows and do nothing when Zant appeared. I hid in fear of him. Clearly I'm the pathetic one. I should be the one most openly opposed against the man who stole my kingdom from me, but there I was, shaking in the shadows like some scared little girl. I make a silent pledge to myself to not let our next encounter go anything like that. When we face Zant for the last time, I'll stand by Link's side, unafraid.

I'm suddenly caught out of my thoughts by Link asking me for use of the spinner. Thankfully, he must not have noticed my fear. Without hesitation, I take the spinner out for him and watch as he leaps onto its top. He rides it towards the open spine of the creature and spins it when he collides with the raw bone. The beast screeches in pain and immediately collapses in the sand.

With the monster defeated, the large central platform begins to rise up from the sand once more, returning to its original height but still giving us no path to get to the large door. "This doesn't seem right…" I say, slowly rising from the shadows. "I don't like the looks of this…"

"Neither do I…" he says tensely, still gripping his sword tightly.

Suddenly, the entire room beings to shake violently. A loud roar screeches from behind us and we both spin around to find the decapitated, floating, still very much alive head of the skeletal beast. With another screech, the monster rushes at Link before he can even react and totally knocks him off the platform, sending him plummeting towards the hard stone floor several feet below.

I let out a fearful gasp, but thankfully keep my wits about me as I hurry over to the side of the platform and contort my hair into a large hand once more, quickly stretching it over the side and catching him with it just in time. I set him down easily on the ground at the bottom of the pit and hurry down to his side, watching as the creature starts to make its rounds around the platform. Without even needing to be told, I take out the spinner for him and he leaps on it, using it to skillfully ride the rails lining the walls and following the creature's circular path. At least three times, he leaps between the platform rails and the wall rails, colliding with the creature each time. Finally having enough, the creature's skull finally cracks and breaks into pieces, finally defeated.

As we make it back up to the top of the platform we find that miraculously and conveniently, a bridge has stretched between the platform and the door, finally opening the way for us to move forward. The door thankfully takes us outside, where the air is much less thick and musty. We must have spent an entire day in the prison, since now it appears to be night one more. We take the small path ahead, which opens up to exactly what I was hoping it would. An atrium-like area that looks quite similar to what was in my dream, save for the fact that the Mirror of Twilight is nowhere to be seen. Instead, we find a tall, golden stature with a spiral rail leading to its top. Obviously a job meant for the spinner. Link rides it up to the top, where a spinner shaped hole sits. Upon placing the thing in the hole, the entire statue starts to lower into the sandy ground. We remain standing on the circular platform as two other things to rise from the sand behind us. First, is a huge, flat slab of empty stone suspended by chains and then another platform, holding a round frame…

Once it's completely risen from the ground, I quickly glide over to it and it's at that moment that I finally realize that something is wrong. Very wrong. This is definitely where the Mirror of Twilight should be, but what appears before us looks nothing like the mirror I saw in my dream. In fact, only a forth of it remains. A fourth! My eyes widen as the awful realization hits in.

"It's broken!" I exclaim in fury and shock. "The Mirror of Twilight is broken!" My fuming mind immediately thinks of Zant as the culprit, but only a _true _ruler of the Twilight Realm could actually break the Mirror of Twilight. This would be something only I would be capable of doing, not Zant in all his false kinghood. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter at all who broke it. What does matter is that the Mirror of Twilight, our last chance at defeating Zant, is no more. I slowly fall to my knees in front of the broken mirror, slumping over in defeat. I hear Link's footsteps approach closer from behind, but I don't turn to acknowledge him. All I can think about is that without that mirror, I'll never be able to return to the Twilight Realm. I can never go home. The thought almost breaks my heart just like the mirror is. I bury my face in my hands and let out a few stray tears, knowing that Zant has won and there's nothing we can do about it.

"Midna…" Link says in awe and wonder, breaking through my tears. "Look…"

Slowly I wipe my face and glance back at him to see that he's pointing in an upward direction ahead of me. He looks to be in complete amazement for some reason, but I simply turn to see what he's so surprised at and when I see them, I can see why. Standing atop the high spires are five ethereal beings who all appear to be identical, ghostly old men. Something floats above each of their heads and each one bears a different symbol on their robes. One is clearly missing from their number though, as one of the spires, which seems to be broken a little, has no being standing above it.

For a moment, we both simply stare at the beings in wonder until one of them begins to speak in an otherworldly voice. "_A dark entity lurks in the Twilight…_" it says cryptically. "_It houses an evil power…"_

Another speaks, though its voice is similar to the first. "_You who are guided by fate… You who possess the crest of the goddesses… hear us…"_

"_At the command of the goddesses, we sages have guarded this ancient prison, the Arbiter's Grounds and the Mirror of Twilight since ancient times…" _another one says.

"_You seek it… but the Mirror of Twilight has been fragmented by mighty magic…" _another sage says in the same manner.

"_That magic is a dark power that only he possesses…" _yet another one says. I expect them to be talking about Zant, the only person we know of who wields such dark power.

"_His name is… Ganondorf…"_

For some reason, the strange name sends a shiver down my spine. Link and I exchange a brief glance of confusion. Who is this Ganondorf? I thought Zant was the one behind all of this, but the sages seem to be suggesting that someone else is? I lean forward with sudden interest to hear more.

"_He was the leader of a band of thieves who invaded Hyrule in the hopes of establishing dominion over the Sacred Realm. He was known as the demon thief, an evil magic wielder renowned for his ruthlessness. But he was blind… In all of his fury and might, he was blind to any danger, and thus he was exposed, subdued and brought to justice. He was imprisoned here and was sentenced to be executed for his crimes… Yet… On the day the sentence was to be executed… Something we could have never expected happened… By some divine prank, he, too, had been blessed with the chosen power of the gods… He was able to escape death and even murdered one of our number… Knowing that we could not let his evil escape into the land of Hyrule once more, we came to our last resort. We quickly used the Mirror of Twilight to banish him into the darkened realm, so Hyrule could escape from his tyranny. His abiding hatred and lust for power turned into the purest malice… Perhaps that evil power has been passed onto Zant…"_

The sages finally take a break from their long story and as they do I realize something important. If these sages had never let this Ganondorf into the Twilight Realm in the first place, than Zant would have never gotten the power to overthrow me! Everything that's happened is all their fault! Fury builds up within me and I don't care what kind of protectors of Hyrule these guys are, I clearly let it show. "You're just now finding out where Zant got his power?!" I exclaim hotly, taking a seat within the empty rim of the mirror. "Ha! It's far too late…"

The sages seem to ignore me, which is good because I don't really want to be subject to whatever wrath they could pour out for my angry outburst. "_Only the true leader of the Twili can utterly destroy the Mirror of Twilight…" _one of the sages explains. "_So Zant could only break it into pieces… Once broken by magic, the Mirror of Twilight became fragments, which now lie hidden across the land of Hyrule…" _As they say this, my eyes widen and I quickly turn my head to look at them, seizing the hope in that statement. The Mirror isn't destroyed; it's just fragmented, its pieces hiding across Hyrule for us to claim! It's not hopeless after all!

"_One is in the snowy mountain heights…"_

"_One is in an ancient grove…"_

"_And one is in the heavens…" _

I commit what they're saying to memory, knowing it will be important later as I glide over to Link and lean on his shoulder. We both continue to listen to the words of the sages with the upmost attention. "_You who have been sent by the goddesses… You should be able to gather the three pieces… But you must be prepared… for a dangerous power resides in those fragments…" _As the sages relay this final set of instructions, they all vanish away, leaving the two of us alone before the broken mirror once more.

"Well," I say, turning to Link. "I guess we'd better get started, huh?" I start to glide towards the exit of the Mirror Chamber, but much to my surprise, he doesn't move to follow me. He simply frowns at the mirror, as if disappointed. "What's wrong?" I ask, confused as to what's going on.

"Well…" he says hesitantly. "It's just. We've already traveled across the entire land of Hyrule once and now we have to do it again?"

A small, almost inaudible gasp escapes me. So… he doesn't want to come with me to look for the pieces… I really shouldn't have expected him to though. Hyrule's not really in danger anymore and there's nothing for him to lose anymore. He's not obligated to and its really his right to choose. I don't know how I'll go on without him, but I'll find some way to manage. I have to. I have no other choice. "Oh…" I say dejectly, avoiding eye contact with him. "I… I understand… You don't have to… It's fine…"

"Midna…" he says consolingly, and if I'm not mistaken, I think I detect a hint of laughter in his tone. "I just said it will be annoying. I never said I'm not coming."

I look him right in the eyes immediately and see his sincere smile. I instantly return it, so glad that I'll still have his help. "Thank you!" I proclaim brightly, unable to contain my happiness. Even now, as an entirely new quest is about to begin, he's fiercely loyal as he's always been. I couldn't wish for a better companion. "Now let's get going!"

He laughs and nods as I slip into his shadow. Just when we thought things were almost over, it seems as though we're just starting out again. Yet I find myself smiling as I glance back at the remaining piece of the mirror before we leave. Sure, it's kind of annoying to have to travel across the entire land of Hyrule once again, but at least there's still hope. And at the moment, hope all I need.

* * *

**Writer's Block! Growl! anyway, this long chapter was sorta hard to write and i'm not sure why. But at least its done. Now we're off to go find the three mirror shards! Boo! I mean... yay! lol I kinda got mad at this part of the game because I was almost certain i was done until the sages are all like "lol jk u gotta go find all the mirror shards! have fun traversing across hyrule all over again!" T_T anyway... now we're getting into that part of the game and i'm sure writer's block will come back to visit me again! darn it! In the mean time though, you should check out my ocarina of time story that i'm currently working on, entitled "wisdom and courage". Its totally worth checking out! So, until next time!**


	23. The Resistance

_Chapter 23: The Resistance_

No more than a second after retreating into Link's shadow I reemerge, fumblingly realizing that we should come up with an actual plan before going out there and searching for the mirror shards. "So… What now?" I ask, before we can even leave the mirror chamber.

He shrugs. "I don't know. Got any ideas?"

I shake my head, but thankfully I recall the words the sages just told us. "Well the Mirror Shards lie somewhere in deep mountain snows, within an ancient wood, and somewhere in the sky…" I recount. "I haven't the slightest idea about how we're going to get to the sky, so we might as well start with the mountain and the forest."

As I'm saying this, Link's face suddenly lights up in what looks to be remembrance. "I have an idea," he exclaims with an enthusiastic smile. "We need to go to Castle Town."

"What for?" I ask in curiosity.

"I'll explain when we get there," is all he says and I frown, not really liking his ambiguity. But nonetheless I consent to warp us to the field just outside of town, to cut down on the hours it would take us to trek through the desert again.

We enter Castle Town in the early hours after dawn, so few people are about roaming the streets. Of course I stay in the shadows, though I'm still puzzled as to why we've come here in the first place and want to ask Link just what this idea of his is. But only when we're in the seclusion of the empty alley near Telma's Bar in the southern portion of town does he decide to explain to me what's going on.

"Do you remember what Telma said after we escorted Ilia and Prince Ralis to Kakariko Village?" he asks. "About there being a group that's working to restore Hyrule?"

I nod, but I don't really see the significance in this. "Yeah, but so what?"

"So," he says, heading for the door of the bar. "Maybe they'll know something about the Mirror Shards."

I frown, knowing that despite his good intentions, he must be wrong. How in the world would a few ragtag vigilantes know anything about shards from the long-forgotten Mirror of Twilight? "Link…" I say hesitantly, not wanting to crush his faith in his own solution but not wanting to let him cling onto false hope either. "I'm sorry, but I don't think… I don't see how they'd know about them at all. It's not like the Mirror of Twilight is common knowledge to you light dwellers. In fact, most of my people don't even know it exists. I just don't think-"

"Come on Midna," he cuts me off somewhat impatiently. "It's at least worth a try."

I glare at him sharply, taken aback by his boldness. "Fine!" I exclaim rather hotly. "Go on ahead. But when this doesn't work and we end up doing nothing more than wasting time, I get to say I told you so!"

He sighs in exasperation and slight frustration. "Fair enough," he mumbles as he heads in the bar, seeming to finally show some doubt in this so called "brilliant" plan of his.

Since it's so early in the day, the bar is almost empty save for a group of four individuals gathered around the table in the back room who pay no mind to Link as he enters. Telma's busy wiping down the bar, but she quickly stops what she's doing and gives him a huge smile as he walks in.

"Well, look who it is!" she exclaims brightly. "Link! How've you been, honey?"

"Fine," he says with a smile, pushing aside his aggravation with me to appear as cordial, but in the shadows, I'm still very much annoyed with him.

For the next several minutes, the two of them make small talk, mentioning Ilia and other things that are of little interest to me. From my constant place in the shadows, I'm just waiting for the chance to get on with looking for the Mirror Shards already instead of this useless stalling.

"Mercy, but you've got good timing," Telma eventually says. "I was just talking about you. Hey everybody!" she calls out to the group of four in the back room. They turn from their hushed conversation to look at Link with scrutiny. "This handsome young man here is Link," Telma continues, but none of the group offers him any form of greeting as they continue to stare him down. "You remember those friends of mine I mentioned before?" she says to Link. "Well here they are, the ones trying to help us deal with all the troubles in Hyrule. Since you came all this way why don't you go on over and say hello?" she says, leading the way to the back room.

The group consists of three men of varying ages and a young woman. The woman, who looks to be not too much older that Link, has coal black hair tied into two low pigtails and copper eyes. She wears a set of simple, lightweight body armor and her figure is slender, yet strong. Her expression is by far the most brutal, since she stares Link down with a tight glare, showing that clearly, she is a no-nonsense type of person. Sitting beside her is a young, bespectacled man, about her age with red hair and bright eyes. From his lack of armor or working clothes, he appears to be some type of scholar or researcher, though I could be wrong. Another, much older man sits on the other side of the woman, with thin grey facial hair and sharp features. Despite being elderly, his body looks to be firm, showing that in his younger days, he was probably quite strong and active. And finally, another man sits at the end of the table, though the upper half of his face is obscured by the metal helmet he wears, giving him an air of mystery as to his true identity.

"Well everyone," Telma encourages the otherwise silent group. "Go on and get acquainted."

The members of the group still don't make an effort to be friendly, instead issuing a constant bout of awkward silence. I take this opportunity to slip into the natural shadows of the room, positioning myself behind the group members so no one but Link will be able to clearly see me. And sure enough, when he catches sight of me there, I cross my arms and shake my head, still firm in my resolve that this was a foolish idea. He sends me a quick glare, but does nothing else lest he appear suspicious to the group and give them a bad first impression.

As he's glaring at me though, the young man finally gathers the nerve to speak up. "Well I don't know about the rest of you," he says in an upper class accent as he glances at the others sitting around the table. "But I believe that we are all being incredibly rude here. And not very hospitable at all, if I might add." The young man stands and extends a hand for Link to shake with a polite smile on his face. "I'm Shad," he introduces himself cordially. "And I must say, that's quite an outfit you're sporting, old boy. You certainly have that 'legendary hero' down to the letter! Oh, how I'd love to wear something like that!"

Before Link can even respond, the young woman breaks into the conversation with a bitter scoff. "What, you mean like a complete fool?" she asks curtly. I can't help but let loose a soft snicker at this, which only Link really catches and sends me another scowl for. I retort back with a triumphant smile, glad that the members of the group are not receiving him with open arms like he thought they would. Maybe, with enough blatant rudeness, they'll chase him out and we can get onto actually looking for the Mirror Shards. "If you wanted to get stared at kid, why not just join the circus or something?" the woman continues harshly, but she is quickly stopped by the older man.

"Ashei!" he silences her and she simply gives him a dirty look but remains quiet nonetheless. "Forgive our rudeness, Master Link. I am Auru. From what Telma has told us, you are quite the courageous youth, are you not? Performing many deeds of valor around Hyrule… Quite respectable if I do say so myself. Don't you all agree?"

Telma and Shad answer with smiles and enthusiastic nods, but Ashei is still clearly fuming as she looks to the ground angrily and scoffs to herself. During this entire exchange, the man in the helmet has remained conspicuously silent, but now he slowly rises to his feet and removes his helmet with a small smile, revealing his full face.

Link gasps in surprise, though I'm not sure why. "Rusl!?" he exclaims happily, giving me the idea that he knows this man from sometime before we met.

The man, Rusl, returns his huge smile. "Link!" he says warmly. "It has been a long time! Uli sent word to me about the children. I've even see them in Kakariko Village! And of course, I've heard from both them and Telma about all of your adventures. And Colin… I must thank you for your help with him, Link. He's grown and matured so much that I barely recognized him! In any case, I had been troubled with my own inaction after the children were taken. So, since I've had a connection with this group here for a long while, I figured that I would help the cause in any way that I could."

Upon seeing the rest of the group's clear confusion about the exchange, Link and Rusl fill them in on the exact nature of their association and I listen as well. Rusl, like Link, is from Ordon Village. He's Colin's father and apparently acts as a surrogate father figure to Link as well. I can tell by how Link speaks of Rusl that he clearly has a great deal of respect for him, and the fact that he has someone on his side in this group gives him a new burst of confidence. But even so, I still have my doubts about this group actually being able to give us any real aid in our search for the Mirror Shards.

Nonetheless, I continue to pay attention as we finally move onto the matter at hand. "So Link," Rusl says, now that all the formalities are finally out of the way. "Is there any way we could be of help to you in your journeys?"

"Actually," he replies. "I was wondering if any of you knew anything about something called the Mirror of Twilight."

Telma, Ashei, Shad, and Rusl all respond with looks of confusion, but for some reason, Auru's face lights up with excitement and interest. "The Mirror of Twilight!" he exclaims with enthusiasm. "But of course! You speak of that cursed mirror within the ancient prison of the Gerudo Desert, yes?"

Link nods and gives me a broad smirk, which I answer by crossing my arms and scowling. _He got lucky… _I think bitterly as Auru asks him various questions about the prison, the mirror and the sages. I have to say that I'm somewhat amazed as to how that old man knows anything about the mysterious Mirror of Twilight. But even so, it won't matter at all if any of them don't have clues to the whereabouts of the Mirror Shards.

"Ah the sages…" Auru says thoughtfully. "Those very same sages served the royal family, as I once did as well. They were appointed as tutors to the young Princess Zelda. It was from them that I first heard tales of the accursed mirror in the Arbiter's Grounds."

"If I may be so terribly bold," Shad cuts in. "Might I ask what a chap such as yourself might have need of a cursed mirror for, Link?"

"Um…" Link stammers, clearly caught on the spot with a question that he has no simple answer for. With wide eyes, he desperately looks to me, as if I could tell him how to explain everything to these people. Again, this is just another drawback in this wonderful plan of his. He must have known that the group would have been curious about the true nature of his motivations. Honestly, even if I could, I'd have no idea how to help him get out of this tight spot that he's managed to work himself into. But, under the tight scrutiny of the group, he keeps his gaze locked on me and comes up with an answer that I could have never expected him to give at a moment like this.

"I think Midna would be able to explain everything much better than I could," he says quickly, much to the group's complete confusion. My eyes widen and I barely restrain myself from letting out an audible gasp of shock. I can't believe him! I told him I wanted to keep a low profile and there he goes, completely blowing my cover! How could he break the trust between us like that? With both rage and betrayal, I glare at him harsher than I ever have before and he stares back at me almost fearfully. He's either afraid of my reaction to him putting me out, the group's reaction to me, or both. "Come on," he mouths to me, trying to get me out of the shadows. I shake my head, adamantly refusing. I'd rather him look like a fool in front of these complete strangers than go out and meet them myself. I can already anticipate their cross, fearful reactions of me. And at this point, I've already been made a spectacle of enough. "Please?" he inaudibly presses on again, giving me a small, pleading smile. Its then that I realize that if I don't help him out here, then the group will certainly think him to be mad, referring to invisible allies who seek cursed mirrors and such. As much as I think of how his plan isn't going to work, I also think of all the many things he has done to help me. And despite being nervous beyond reason, I know that I owe this to him. Even though I know this is definitely going to end in disaster.

Slowly, I glide out of the shadows and gloat over to Link's side so the group can see me in full view. I keep my face a mask of indifference as a few sharp gasps are let out. But for the longest time, there are no other reactions. Instead the five of them stare me down with stunned wonder and I stare back piercingly, having no clue about what's going to happen next. After several minutes of terse silence, I slowly glance over at Link and give him a soft glare as our eyes meet. I can tell that he regrets revealing me to them, but there's no going back now. What's done is done and we can only move forward into whatever's about to happen.

I continue to keep my eyes locked onto him as he takes in a deep breath and finally breaks the mounting tension in the room. "Well everyone," he says somewhat awkwardly. "This is Midna."

They all glance at him for a second and then back at me. None of their expressions seem fearful or repulsed by my impish appearance, which is good, but none of them look particularly comfortable either. However, as I should have guessed, Ashei is the first one bold enough to speak out of them. "What… what are you?" she asks incredulously, speaking directly to me.

I cross my arms and look at her with the same tight looks she's giving me. "I'm a member of the Twili race," I say pointedly. "Though I doubt any of you would know what that is."

They all immediately shake their heads in response, as I guessed they would. I figure that I might as well start from the beginning in my explanation and so I do, starting with the story of the Dark Interlopers and from there I talk about the Twilight Realm and exactly what my tribe is. I explain the details behind Zant's takeover, leaving out any part of my former position as the Twilight Princess. I then go on to tell them about how Zant enshrouded Hyrule in Twilight and with Link's help, I recount our meeting, leaving out the fact that he was transformed into a wolf for his sake, as well as telling them about our hunt for the Fused Shadow and Zant's attack along with Zelda's sacrifice. They all listen carefully and ask questions when clarification is needed, but as far as I can tell, they seem to be buying everything I tell them.

"So Princess Zelda is… gone…?" Telma asks after I'm completely finished. I look down to the floor and nod gravely, once again reminded of this cruel fact.

"Yes…" I sigh sadly. "And we think that's why that barrier has appeared around the castle. You all have seen it, haven't you?"

Once again, they all nod and Auru speaks up. "Well if our dear princess believes you to be worthy enough of a cause to give up her life for," he begins boldly, though he's actually the first one of them I see giving me a smile. "Then it is only fair that we respect her decision and choose to trust you as well. And Master Link," he says, addressing Link now. "It appears as though your acts of heroism extend much farther than any of us could have ever known. Clearly, all of Hyrule is in your debt, including all of us as well. Do you all agree?"

Telma is the first to give an enthusiastic nod along with a warm smile. "After seeing you plow through those beasts when you helped us to Kakariko, honey," she says to Link. "There was no doubt in my mind that you're a bona fide hero."

"Oh, most certainly!" Shad chimes in. "You're rather formidable, old boy! Definitely the champion Hyrule needs at a time like this!"

Rusl nods in approval. "I always knew you were destined for greatness, Link," he says proudly. "But I could have never guessed it'd be something this great."

Auru grins at both of us. "Well it appears that the two of you have our full support," he says, gradually glancing towards the sole member of the group who has not voiced her support. "All except for Ashei…" he says to her pointedly and for a moment, she says nothing, continuing in her sullen silence as she stares Link and me down with tight examination and for a second I think she's going to scoff at us once more. However, slowly but surely, her cross frown vanishes as she cracks a broad smirk on her otherwise serious face.

"Alright," Ashei says, much to Link's obvious relief. "You got me, kid. Whatever it is you're looking for, we're here to help. Even those "Mirror Shard" things you were talking about."

Link and I glance at each other and even though I'm still upset about him blowing my cover, I can't help but give him a wide grin, glad that things went so much better than I expected them to. He smiles back at me, sharing my relief and happiness. I don't want to admit it, but maybe this plan of his wasn't as foolish as I had originally thought.

"Thank you," he says gratefully to them and I nod my thanks as well. "So Midna, where did the sages say the Mirror Shards are again?"

"Well," I begin, recounting the words of the sages. "I know that one is somewhere on a high mountain…"

"Mountain?" Ashei exclaims with sudden interest. "You mean like Snowpeak, to the north of Zora's Domain? Strange things have been happening on that mountain lately… Do you think that Mirror Shard could have anything to do with it?"

"Hm…" I muse thoughtfully, knowing it very well could. After all, the Mirror Shards are supposedly filled with a "dangerous power" as the sages put it. It could be causing a dark influence up on that mountain and if something is truly going on up there, then we could be looking at a hiding place for one of the shards! "Possibly…" I say. "It might be worth a look… What do you say, Link?"

"We should check it out," he agrees. "After all, Snowpeak is the only mountain near Hyrule, right Ashei?"

Ashei nods, her expression stern but her eyes alight with adventurous excitement, which is strange to see in one so serious. "Yeah," she confirms. "Things happen on that mountain that I haven't heard happen anywhere else in the land… And believe me, I know. I grew up there with my father, but back then it was peaceful. Something's definitely off about that mountain now. It's almost like… evil controls it, or something, yeah? So if you wanna go take a peek, then clearly the two of you are gonna need some help or you won't last one second up there. Most travelers get lost within the first few seconds. I know that most 'heroes' like yourself are headstrong kid, but at least let me point you in the right direction so you won't freeze your feet to the ground, OK?"

Link smiles and nods with a slight laugh. "OK," he says, glancing over at me as I nod as well. "Looks like it's settled."

"Perfect," Ashei says, rising to her feet. "Then I'd better be heading out, yeah? Get ready for the trek up the mountain and meet me at its base near Zora's Domain tomorrow. Got it?"

We both nod and she gives us another smirk as she heads out the door. After a few more minutes of chatting with the remainder of the group and thanking them for their assistance, we do the same, seeing as how we'll need to make a few preparations before heading to Zora's Domain. I take to Link's shadow as we leave the city, but the moment we're out in Hyrule Field once more I leap out, glad that its finally just the two of us once more so I can scold him properly.

The moment he sees my unhappy scowl, he sucks in a deep breath and avoids my gaze as he hastily gets on Epona. "I'm sorry," he says sincerely. "I panicked. I thought they wouldn't help us if I didn't have a good reason about why we were looking for the Mirror Shards. And I couldn't have explained everything better than you did."

I don't take his obvious flattery kindly, because despite what he thought was right, I'm still clearly mad. "Do you realize," I start harshly. "How badly that could have gone? I'm surprised they didn't run screaming at the sight of me!"

"Come on, Midna…" he says jokingly. "You're not that bad…"

"Yes I am!" I shout in mournful rage, finding nothing funny about this at all. "I mean, having to look like this is bad enough, but having someone who I'm supposed to trust put me out there and have me flaunt myself like I'm some sort of spectacle is even worse!"

His smile fades and he looks at me with both worry and questioning. "But Midna…" he says softly, knowing that I'm inconsolable at the moment. "Haven't you always looked like that?"

I take in a shaky breath and quickly retreat into the shadows, not wanting to converse on this bitter topic. I can't tell him, at least not yet, that I used to not be the hideous, ugly imp that I am now. That I was once tall, slender, elegant and beautiful not that long ago. I can't tell him, mostly for my own sake more than his. I don't want to think about all that I've lost, at least not now.

"Midna?" Link calls down to me, trying to get me out of the shadows but I don't move. I have to admit that I'm not really angry with him anymore, but more hurt than anything else. I know he had been caught on the spot and couldn't think of anything else to do at the moment and I forgive him for that. But we were supposed to remain confidential. I'm fine just hiding in his shadows and helping him from behind the scenes. I don't like being on the center stage; that's his job to be the big hero who saves the day. I'm just trying to save my realm and avenge Zelda. The last thing I want in unneeded attention.

"Midna," he tries again. "I'm sorry."

I remain in the shadows, though he's quickly wearing me down. I don't want to go out there and answer whatever questions he could have over my appearance or anything else.

He frowns and sighs, knowing that getting me to come out won't be easy. "Listen," he says firmly yet at the same time, his tone is full of understanding. "For what it's worth, I don't think they were scared of you at all. Just like I wasn't when we first met."

Upon hearing this, I know I can no longer remain in my hiding place. I slowly slip out and glide alongside him, though I don't make eye contact with him. "You… weren't…?" I ask tentatively, my voice small and humble.

He shakes his head. "Not for a moment," he says with a kind smile. "Not even when you constantly picked on me."

I can't help but break into a huge grin and let out a slight chuckle. It's comforting to know that through everything we've been through, from the first few rough experiences till now, we've found a common ground that's more than just a mutual agreement to help each other. Our experiences have bonded us more than just acquaintances who are forced to work together thanks to circumstances. We are genuine friends, who support each other and watch out for each other, but at the same time, like any friends, we have our disagreements that we must work through, like the one we just had.

"Thanks," I say warmly, glancing at towards the noonday sun with newfound contentment.

He simply smiles and nods like he so often does, but less than a minute after I slip back into the shadows he calls out to me once again. "Hey Midna," he says with an amused grin.

"What?"

"You know what I get to say now, don't you?"

I wrack my brain for a moment, trying to figure out what he means, but when I do, I roll my eyes and sigh in exasperation. "Get it over with…" I say, not liking to be proven wrong.

His smile widens as he looks down at me, knowing he's won this round. And I let him have it just this once as he says, "I told you so."

* * *

**Sorry this has taken so long dear readers! Writer's block (Again!) doesn't help and neither does writing another story in the midst of this that you're completely obsessed with ;) But anyway, were you guys a bit surprised as to how I incorporated Midna into this chapter? Its kinda weird how this chapter turned out actually, cause I never intended Midna to leave Link's shadow for most of it, but well, sometimes you get to writing and the ideas just flow and yeah... hahah. So anyway, I'm glad i found a way to work the resistance into this story cause they're awesome, especially Ashei. For those of you who don't know, I'm actually writing a side, origin story thing about Ashei which you should go check out if you have the chance! Its called "Snow Flower". So anyway, I guess that's it! Leave a review, and as always, until next time!**


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